The Misadventures of Dr Sid, Aging Werewolf
by LadyKayoss
Summary: An anthology of stories. Dr. Sid attempts to take care of problems on his own, but finds out things aren't the way they used to be...
1. Ain't What He Used to Be

Disclaimer:  I don't own any of the TSW characters portrayed within.  Surprised?

Author's Note:  I know what you're thinking:  "_Another_ werewolf fic?"  Yes, and I apologize profusely.  They seem to be what my muses are best at.  Think of it as an apology for "Shadow Moon." And when I finally put together a web page, being the sick puppy I am, I'm going to have a shrine gathering together as many Final Fantasy werewolf fics as I can gather.  Yes, there are (few) others besides mine.  But I wouldn't mind having more (hint, hint).    This particular fic grew from a conversation I had with my sister, the madness that overtakes me at work, and a song on "The Simpsons"…  Don't ask.  And I had to get a fic with some of the… unusual pairings included here out before Ovo used them!  *grin*    Like it?  Hate it?  Should it stay a one-shot, or become a series?

AIN'T WHAT HE USED TO BE

_The Misadventures of Dr. Sid, Aging Werewolf_

Tonight was the night.  Tonight, under the full moon's ominous glow (a sinister effect obscured by the barrier, thus ruining some of the mysticism of the whole thing), Dr. Sid would take care of that young pup serving as general.

He'd been patient with the younger man's views, knowing the military in general tended to be close-minded and stubborn when it came to new ideas.  But General Hein was taking it to whole new levels, and Dr. Sid didn't have the patience to put up with his petty arguments any more.

It was time to do what he had done with anyone who'd stood in his way when he'd been younger.  Deal with them with tooth and claw!

So he told Aki to leave him alone for the night, saying he needed time to look over the results from an experiment that had inexplicably gone wrong the previous week.

Belatedly it occurred to him that she never pried into his business at night anyway, and that his unexpected warning to stay away might stir the woman's curiosity.  Aki was like that…

No matter.  He wouldn't be here in his cramped little apartment anyway once the moon rose!  For Dr Sid, famous for his teachings of non-violence and the search for a better way to be rid of the Phantoms, became a blood-thirsty creature of destruction whenever the moon was full.  Dr. Sid was a werewolf.

He felt the moon's pull even from deep within the city, and hurried to his bathroom to ready himself.  Normally, he spent such nights curled up asleep under his bed, but no tonight.  Tonight, he would cease to be pleasant old Dr. Sid. Tonight, he would be Sid the wolf, and would unleash his unrivaled hunting instincts and kill!

The change was swift; a momentary blackout of his senses as he shifted from one form to another, and then he lifted his new body precariously onto two legs, an action he seemed to recall shouldn't have been this _hard, and turned his gaze to the mirror to admire his impressiveness._

What he saw made his tatty ears droop in dismay.  It had been years – decades, really – since he'd last actually looked at this form.  It had… well… changed.

What stared back at him with yellowed eyes was not some horrific beast of nightmare, but a creature resembling a large, bipedal Chihuahua.  His body was thin and wrinkled, his skin almost bald except for a thin layer of fur and a few sad, gray clumps in strange places.  His mouth was as nearly empty of teeth as it was in human form, for only one cracked canine protruded from his gums.  _Do they make dentures for werewolves?_  And, he noticed with some embarrassment, the scar from when his wife had had him neutered after sniffing one too many females was plainly visible.

His hips suddenly groaned in protest and buckled under him, and he dropped to all fours with a bone-jarring thump.  So he couldn't walk on his hind legs anymore…  Okay, he could deal with that.  And so what if he wasn't what he had been?  He could handle it!

He snorted, and drool splashed across the floor.  He wrinkled his bald muzzle in disgust.  _Eww…  He'd have to clean that up, come morning._

No matter.  So he had a drooling problem!  That explained that stain under his bed.  Didn't it?

Sid padded across his apartment and opened the door, nose raised and ears pricked for any scent or sound of someone out in the corridor.  His senses, still keen after all these years even after the slow breakdown the rest of his body seemed to be going through, found no sign of anyone waiting.

Still, as he trotted along the deserted halls, it occurred to him that he hadn't gone hunting in decades.  Maybe, just maybe, he should do something just to warm up?  His ears twitched, straining for any sound in the silence for something, anything, that he could practice on.  

Nothing…. Nothing…  _There!_

With a triumphant yip, Sid sprang at an astonished rat.  He caught its fat body in his jaws and squeezed, waiting for the creature's dying squeals, the snap of its bones, the flow of its blood…

Nothing happened.  Sid rolled one yellowed eye towards the rat, meeting its puzzled beady eyes.  Okay, so his remaining teeth were blunter than he'd remembered.  And his jaws weren't as powerful…  Angrily, he whipped his head around, trying to break the rodent's spine.  He stopped after a moment, exhausted, and his eye again met the rat's.

The damned thing looked like it was having fun!  He spat out the rodent, and it rolled on the tile a moment before catching itself.  It wiped one paw through its drool-sodden fur – funny how he still had a lot of saliva in his old age, if nothing else – then, with a bemused last look, the rat scuttled off.

Sid dropped to his bony haunches with a whining sigh.  Okay, so maybe his teeth weren't up to par, but he still had his claws.  He examined the weapons critically.  Okay, so half of them were broken nubs, but the rest would do the job.  It only took one to tear a man open.

With a creak of old bones, Sid heaved himself to his feet and continued towards the general's office.

He made it with no more interruptions and, though it was empty, the door was unlocked, meaning the general intended to come back.  Or he was just incredibly stupid.  Either could be true, in Sid's opinion.

Well, he'd just wait.  He slunk through the shadows cast by the desk lamp and hid under the desk lamp, eyes gleaming dully in the darkness as he waited.

And waited.  And waited…

Finally, when his legs had fallen asleep, he heard someone fumbling with the door.  Sid jerked from his half-doze, the crack of his bones sounding loud in the silence.  Desperately, he hoped that hadn't given him away.

But when the person stepped inside, despite being unable to see the man from his position under the desk, Sid knew at once who it was from the scent, and he had to bite back a groan of disappointment.  It was Major Elliot.

Then a second scent hit him, followed by a low, throaty giggle.  Sid's eyes widened.  Aki?  What was she doing here?

"Are you sure the general won't be back?" Aki asked, her voice a husky purr.

"He's 'busy' again.  He won't be back until tomorrow."  Sid could hear the satisfaction in the major's voice.  "It's just you and me."

_What the…?  _Sid wondered.  Then, a sudden realization made the gorge rise in his throat and he had to lie down before he fainted.  _Aki's been meeting with Major Elliot?  More than meeting him, actually, but Sid wouldn't let his too-vivid imagination carry the thought further._

Besides, it seemed he was about to be subjected to the real thing.

The desk above Sid groaned as if a great weight had settled on it.  _I don't want to be here…_  A file was knocked from Hein's desk, and Aki's low murmur carried clearly to his sharp ears.  "We're going to make a mess.  Don't you think the general's going to notice?"  She sounded as if she didn't really care.

"He never noticed when we used his car."

"Yeah, but we used his coat to clean up the mess."  Aki gave a throaty chuckle in remembrance.

_I really don't want to be here…_

"Don't worry, honey," Major Elliot cooed.  "It won't be nearly as disastrous as the time in Dr. Sid's lab last week."  The two laughed as if sharing a private joke.

_Good God!  So _that_ was what went wrong with those experiments!  _A whimper escaped his throat.  _I don't want to be here…  Oh, God, I don't want to be here!_

Sensitive ears undulled by age – unfortunately – picked out sounds belonging to actions he didn't want to think about, though his imagination filled in the blanks for him.

When the desk gave a crack as if it were about to break apart above him, Sid decided he'd had enough.  With a yelp, he shot out from under the desk with a speed that he hadn't known he'd had in him, slowing only to rear up, activate the panel that opened the door, then sprint down the hall with his scraggly tail between his legs.  As far as he knew, they were too busy to even notice his undignified exit.

Sid himself was too traumatized to pay attention to where he was going.  He didn't see anything, anyone, until his sensitive muzzle slammed into something round and fleshy.  Dazed, Sid backed away, blinking at the darkness that stood over him.  His vision took its sweet time to clear, but he could still use his nose.

_Oh, my…_  He'd just run face first into General Hein's rear.  At least, he thought it was Hein.  The scent of another – _Corporal Fleming?! – clung to him like a perfume, making it difficult to tell._

They gazed at one another for a moment before Sid remembered his whole purpose of coming out tonight had been to kill this man.

"Stupid dog," the general muttered.  Sid's lips curled with a rusty growl.  Hein didn't look particularly impressed.

_Fear me, you idiot!_  Sid thought as he lunged forward, grabbing the general around the wrist and clamping down with his teeth, momentarily forgetting his failure with the rat earlier.  _I am death!  There was an audible snap, and Sid's last canine tooth tumbled from his mouth._

_Oh, shit…_  Hein yanked his hand away from Sid's mouth, shaking it and sending droplets of drool flying.  "Gross," Hein grumbled.  Too quickly for Sid to respond to, he scruffed the old wolf's neck, startling him.  "You need to see a vet about that drooling problem."  Sid's claws raked Hein's chest without even ripping the cloth of his shirt.  So much for his last deadly weapons…  "In face, an old cur like you should be put to sleep."  Hein scowled.  "But there won't be a veterinary open this time of night."  One hand still on Sid's neck, Hein used his other to fumble at his belt.

Sid gulped.  He was learning a lot about his fellows' twisted appetites tonight…  He squirmed, unwilling to be a participant.  "Stop that, you stupid mutt!"  Hein looped his belt around Sid's neck as a makeshift collar. _ Oh, of course…  That's what he wanted it for…  His relief was short-lived when he realized he was stuck.  "There.  I can't have an unsanitary creature like you running around my base."_

Maybe Hein was just going to turn him loose at the nearest door, then he could make his way back to his apartment.  But Hein's next words made Sid's body go rigid.  "I'll take you to my place tonight, then dump you at the vet's in the morning."

_Maybe that will give me a chance to kill him in his sleep?  _Sid had the feeling he'd manage better with prey that wasn't conscious.  So he followed docilely, his tongue lodged in the gap where his canine had been to stem the blood flow.   _Leather, he thought disgustedly, __wasn't that tough in my day!_

When Hein reached his quarters, he shoved Sid inside before entering himself – and locking the door with a key.  _Oh, no…  He should have known the general would have extra security for his door.  Any talented hacker could break a coded door lock.  But not many people had the skills to pick a lock anymore.  And __of course, Hein had to be the type to lock it from the _inside…_  Sid would need the keys if he wanted to leave.  And he'd need hands to manipulate them._

Sid whined and stared at the door as Hein loosened the belt from his wrinkled neck.  "No," Hein said firmly.  "If you need to go, use this."  He set out a towel, then headed off to his bathroom.

Wearily, Sid sat down.  It seemed he was going to be here for some time.  Would he be able to escape before sunrise?  Hein's place was on an upper floor, so escaping through the windows was out.

Cocking his head, Sid surveyed his surroundings, looking for something to help him escape.  He waited for his eyes to adjust to the blackness – for Hein hadn't turned on any lights – and wondered idly if Hein's apartment was actually black, or if just seemed that way to Sid's color-blind wolf form.

Cautiously, Sid strolled along the perimeter of what must have been the living room.  He froze when he heard Hein come out of the bathroom, but the general made straight for his bedroom, or what Sid assumed was the bedroom if Hein's quarters followed the normal military design.

He passed by a couch that smelled as if it were leather, then stopped to mark it as his territory.  His wrinkled muzzle twisted in a smirk.

Still, there was nothing here that could help him escape.  He tried the kitchen, then the bathroom, and the second bedroom that had been converted to a library/den.  Nothing.  There was no choice, then.  He needed the keys.

_I can't believe I'm doing this…_  Sid slunk to the door of Hein's bedroom, wondering if he were the first person to actually see it.  What would it look like?  Would it be painted all in black?  Would there be horrible effigies of ancient gods?  Nude pictures of certain soldiers?  Or - Sid shuddered at the thought - what if Hein had a fetish for clowns?  

Quietly, Sid entered the room.  Even his bones cooperated by moving soundlessly, fluidly, as they had in his youth.

The bare walls were almost disappointing.  While Sid couldn't see the color, they were pale, not black.  There was nothing in the room; nothing except the loudly snoring form on the massive bed.  _Well, I know a lot of people who lost this bet…_

He prowled the room slowly, checking out the desk on the far wall, first.  Nothing.

Nothing… except a digital clock.  A clock that said he had fifteen minutes until the moon set.  Sid's eyes widened.  How many hours had he spent waiting under Hein's desk?  He'd had no idea it was this late…  No time…  And there was no sign of the keys.

He couldn't be found here.  He couldn't!  Frantically, Sid ran around the room, muzzle twisting this way and that as he searched.  _His coat…_  Could Hein have put them in the pockets?  The heavy leather coat hung on a bedpost on the other side of the bed, and Sid, without thinking, sprang onto the bed.

The _waterbed._

The bed shuddered, and Sid felt a wave of sea sickness.  But that was nothing to the terror he felt when Hein started moving as a result of the bed's motion.  The man's arm swung around, pressing down on Sid's spine and pinning him to the bed.

"Uff," Sid grunted, wriggling to escape the man's grasp.  Incredibly, from his snores, Sid realized the general was still asleep, and likely to stay that way.  The clock on the desk was clearly visible, mocking him.  _Seven minutes…  Seven minutes until he transformed._

Frantically, Sid tried to pull himself from Hein's grip with his claws, but the man's hold tightened.  And his claws, the weapons whose bluntness had let him down earlier, finally managed to pierce something:  the mattress.

Water gushed out, washing over Sid's muzzle in a wave.  He began to sink, and Hein's body rolled on top of his.

_This would never have happened in the good old days,_ Sid thought remorsefully.  Really, there wasn't much else that could be worse than this.

Then the change ripped through his body, and he groaned as his body altered in the confined space.

"Glurk – wah?"  And of course, Hein had to choose right then to press his face into the water and inhale…  

Hein fought loose from the collapsing mattress and stared blearily at the sodden mess his bed had become.  Then he saw Dr. Sid.  A drenched, _naked Dr. Sid.  __How do I explain this one?  Dr. Sid wondered frantically._

General Hein's mouth opened in a scream that couldn't seem to stop as Dr. Sid scrambled to his feet and jumped off the bed.  His hand knocked into the nightstand, and something fell off with a jingling noise.  The keys!  He scooped them up and ran as fast as his overtaxed joints allowed, Hein's screams following him until he was far, far from the man's home.

_Well, maybe I didn't kill him, but he'll probably be emotionally scarred for the rest of his life.  _Then, thinking back to how much the evening had gone wrong, _So will I, for that matter._

_Thank God the full moon only comes a few days every month!_

The End


	2. Good Ol' Days

**Summary: **The past and present collide in this follow up to Ain't What He Used To Be.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the lucky individuals involved; I only use them for my own sick pleasure, which generates no profit. Though it does make me wonder if I belong in the loony bin…

Author's Note: Yes, this is indeed becoming a series. Go me. I had some trouble with this fic; initially, I was going to make it a pure comedy, but the bits from the past didn't seem to want to be funny, so now it's a comedy/drama that utilizes a little theory that had been considered for the "Evils of…" universe but was discarded when it got too weird. But, it wouldn't leave me alone, and I had to use it. I just had to! And, just to warn you, Jane and Gray are way out of character here, but this is my twisted little version of the TSW world, so they can be however I want them to be, darn it! It's not as funny as the first, I don't think, but it was written to accomplish several purposes: a.) to introduce the part that was cannibalized from an "Evils of…" fic, b.) to establish Gray and Jane as a couple, and c.) to prove that Dr. Sid wasn't always pathetic as a werewolf. The end's friggin' sappy though, isn't it? Oh, and I hope you can follow the shifts between Sid's memories from the past, and the present. I didn't exactly make it clear, but I couldn't think of a smooth way of doing it.

Warning: Contains swearing and nudity, though used mostly for comedic purposes.

_**Good Ol' Days**_

_The Misadventures of Dr. Sid, Aging Werewolf_

Sid was beginning to wonder if perhaps he actually should see a veterinarian. _This can't be normal, _he thought, as he filled yet another Chardonnay bottle with the drool oozing from his decrepit muzzle. It was the second bottle he'd filled that evening with the clear yellow liquid, and it was a wonder he wasn't dehydrated with all the fluids he was losing.

Still, how could he explain this to a vet? One couldn't just go up to someone and claim to be a geriatric werewolf who couldn't stop salivating. And a primitive part of him balked at going to a veterinarian; his wife Elizabeth had taken him to make sure he'd gotten all his rabies shots… And then there was the fateful day of his neutering… He was still perplexed about why a werewolf's legendary regenerative abilities could heal wounds fatal to a normal human but could do nothing about a little snip! And he hadn't deserved it; he and Elizabeth had been separated at the time the incident that brought about the reaction took place!

But he had to do something. All fluids were recycled, and if his saliva were to somehow get into the water supply, well, Sid wasn't certain what would happen – but it was the saliva that carried the infection.

_Hmm… On the other hand, werewolves are pretty much invulnerable, even to Phantoms. I could sell bottles of this stuff to the USMF as 'Insta-Werewolf' and make a fortune! _He shuddered as he imagined the ensuing chaos. Especially when the female soldiers went into heat.

_Speaking of females in heat… _Aki was out again, and the time she was spending with Major Elliot was beginning to alarm him. That, and he just didn't want to imagine what they were up to. Still, Sid had been young once, he knew how Aki was feeling. Which was _why _he was so alarmed.

_Maybe I'd better put a stop to it. They're spending too much time together; Aki hasn't helped me with an experiment in weeks, and she's running out of excuses. She's had four grandmothers die so far, and that car she doesn't even own is always breaking down. Even if I couldn't smell him on her, I'd know something was going on. I can't rip the major's throat out, or even bite him, but maybe I could scare him. That man should _not_ be allowed to breed. _That wasn't a bad idea, now that Sid considered it. Having spent a night out last full moon had made him realize how pathetic it was for him to just curl up under his bed and collect drool. As hobbies went, it was a bit disgusting.

_So, it's decided. I'll go out, and scare the little shit away from my assistant. Dunno how, yet, but I'm a genius. I'll think of something. _He crawled out from under the bed, a balding, bony wreck of a hound, and stretched his legs with a series of _cracks _from his protesting bones. He was going to _hurt _tomorrow, but it would be worth it.

As he left the safety of his apartment, he ignored the little voice that reminded him of what had happened last time he'd tried to settle the score with another who'd earned his wrath. Hein had come out the victor. Hell, the _rat_ had come out unscathed, as well! And he didn't even have the satisfaction of knowing that the general was traumatized by what had happened; his subconscious had promptly blocked out the horrible vision, as a good subconscious was wont to do.

But he wasn't going to try to kill the major. Oh, no… He'd just come up with something much more clever, much more humiliating. Something that would be remembered years from now. Sid licked his gums in satisfaction. _Oh, yeah… Watch yourself, Major, because I'm going to make you wish you'd never been born. I'm going to…_

Sadly, neither Major Elliot, nor the rest of the world, were ever going to find out what insidious plot had brewed in the werewolf's mind, for a girly scream shocked him from his thoughts a split second before something collided with his skull.

XXX

The party was still going on around him as he came to, and Sid rolled fluidly to all fours. He shook himself, his dusky fur briefly standing out on end. What had hit him?

"Oh, my God!" a voice cried, and two dark shapes filled his vision. No… just one, he realized as his vision slowly cleared. "Did we hurt you?" Pale hands rubbed his muzzle, then played with his ears as the speaker searched for injuries. Still shocked from whatever had knocked him out, Sid didn't even bother to snap at the person who dared touch a werewolf. "Anthony, you hit a dog!"

_Now_ he remembered; he was at the party of an associate's, a weeklong celebration held at a beach resort. Sid hadn't wanted to come, due more to the fact that he and his wife had just separated than the lousy timing that placed the party during the week of the full moon. But his friend had persuaded him to come, saying that nothing would help him get over his pain like a good party. _Right… _He'd been compelled to stroll down the beach, away from the press of bodies, even before the moon had risen.

And now it seemed someone had used his sanctuary for a parking spot. That was progress for you.

The woman's hands continued to run over his body, and he yelped when she got a bit too personal. He whirled to bite her… and then he saw her face.

She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. Pale, with light blue eyes framed by a silky mane of wavy black hair. _Wow…_ Sid whined and leaned his muzzle into her chest. "You poor dear," she murmured.

"Big bastard, ain't he?" the woman's companion said. "C'mon, Nicole, leave him be and let's go have some fun!"

Nicole's hands tightened in Sid's fur. "Just a moment, honey," she said, her voice flat.

Sid glowered at the man who wanted to take this vision of loveliness from him. He was a portly man with a receding hairline and wisps of facial hair clinging to heavy jowls. His face was already red from drink, and Sid suspected he was anxious to get more. Could this beast be her husband?

Sid growled angrily.

XXX

Meanwhile, back in the real world, any soldier walking along the corridor leading to the officers quarters would have come upon a strange sight. The woman leaning over what looked like a heap of sticks and leather wasn't so unusual; it was her companion, clad in a captain's uniform, hiding behind a potted plant and bawling his eyes out that drew attention.

"I've never heard a man scream like that before," Jane commented to her weeping superior. She nudged the thing – a _dog? _– with the toe of her boot. It looked like it should have been put out of its misery years ago, but it still breathed. "Did you have to hit it? I don't think it could have hurt you." She turned away from the dog, stooping over to pick up the Nocturne Gray had dropped after bashing the creature. The weapon's barrel had a sizable dent in it, and Jane sighed in frustration. The weapon was hers, so repairs were going to come out of her paycheck.

"What's it doing now?" Gray asked, voice quivering.

"You can come out. It's not doing anything right now. You knocked it unconscious. You're not frightened of dogs, are you?" Jane asked, bemused. So much for her hopes of a strong lover…

Gray came out from behind the plant, suddenly courageous now that he knew the beast was insensate. "Me? Frightened? Never." As if to prove his point, he went over and kicked the helpless dog.

Its eyes suddenly snapped open, and it got to its feet with a grace that belied his age. Gray shrieked and leapt behind Jane. As the creature balanced awkwardly on its feet, as though trying to get its bearings, Jane knelt down to check it for injuries, ignoring Gray's pleas to just get out of there. "It's harmless," she told him flatly, "See? It's not going to hurt –" Abruptly, the dog settled its head on her breasts, and Jane stiffened. Okay, now she was pissed. "Get offa me, you horny old mutt!" she snapped, trying to push it away.

She needn't have bothered. The creature turned on its own, eyes fastening on Gray. A growl rose in its throat.

_Great, another suitor. Just what I need. _She cocked her head, watching the creature's bold movements, then checking Gray's cowering figure. _But at least this one's got some spine._

XXX

"Go on ahead," Nicole told her husband. "I'll see if I can find his owner and tell him what happened." Anthony shrugged, and headed towards the sounds of the party.

Nicole remained kneeling, absently stroking Sid's fur. "I don't want to be here, but Tony's been invited for the whole week, and I'm stuck."

She sounded depressed, but Sid's spirits lifted. The fact that both of them were married didn't bother Sid. Animal instinct cared nothing for the rules of human society. Besides, he and his wife were separated, and she sounded as alone as he was.

Nicole got to her feet and Sid followed after. She watched him critically as he took a few steps, but his injuries had already healed so he showed no sign of being hurt. His back was level with her hands, so he let her rest one on his shoulder as they went around the main house of the resort to the beach.

Sid winced as the noise assailed his ears, and Nicole looked like she would rather be anywhere else. He scanned the crowd for her husband, baring his fangs when he saw the man was busy indulging himself.

"Do you see your owner?" Nicole asked him. He could barely hear her over the din, even with his sharp ears, and he wished he could tell her that he had no owner, and that he'd be quite willing to follow him home and be kept… Why was he so besotted with this woman? Was it her beauty? Or the sadness she felt at the obvious neglect from her husband?

He suspected the latter, and her distress at standing here and watching a party where she seemed to feel she didn't belong made his heart go out to her. When he and Elizabeth had been together, he'd never forced her to attend anything like this against her will.

Sid decided to get Nicole out of there. He whined and began to walk away, towards the beach, glancing back periodically to make sure Nicole was following.

XXX

"It's gone. You can remove your face from my back now."

Jane's firm voice finally got through to Gray, who tentatively peered out under her arm to see for himself. He sighed in relief, then released his death grip from Jane's ribs. "Thanks; I couldn't really breath," Jane grumbled.

"Sorry," Gray muttered. _Great; just great! This is supposed to be it, my perfect night with Jane, and it's already almost been ruined! _Gray just hoped the evening could be salvaged… Jane was so much better than most of Gray's previous dates. She wasn't inflatable, for starters. And she was willing. Sort of. "Do you still want to go…?" Gray hinted, nodding his head towards his quarters. Jane shrugged and gave him that I've-got-nothing-better-to-do look, and set off with that catlike prowling stride he admired so much.

Oh, yeah… He was gonna score tonight.

Gray unlocked his quarters, standing aside to let Jane in first. She took no notice of his efforts to be a gentleman, stalking past him as if he wasn't even there and standing in his living room with her nose crinkled in distaste. "Kinda… cramped, isn't it?" Jane observed, reaching out both arms to brush the walls on either side of the room. "Don't officers get bigger quarters than this? Hell, my closet's bigger!"

Gray pushed her forward, anxious to get her somewhere more pleasing. "The apartments are all oddly shaped to conserve space," Gray said quickly. "I assure, all the other rooms are bigger. Like the bedroom," he added, opening the door to said room.

Oops. Maybe he shouldn't have shown her that now. From the look on her face, she was disgusted by his lack of finesse. _You can't push Jane,_ Gray cautioned himself. _She'll just push back even harder. Remember Sergeant Wilkins and his broken ribs? _"But we don't have to go in there," Gray said hurriedly. "The kitchen's this way – I have some nice wines if you're interested, and…" He trailed off when Jane peeked her head into another room and pulled back with a smirk. "That's the bathroom," he said, puzzled.

"How about a bath?" she purred.

Gray blinked. Did he smell that bad? Then it sank in. "Together?" His tub was big enough for it; what his quarters lacked in living room space, it made up for in other areas

"Of course. Then you can show me that tattoo you're so proud of. The one you supposedly got just for me."

"Supposedly?" Gray repeated, trying to sound baffled. "It's a JP; who else would it be for?"

Jane pushed past him to go to the kitchen, and quickly located a wine glass before pulling a bottle out of the refrigerator. "Jamie Phillips. A girl you wanted to date back in the Academy but had no interest in you, and certainly wasn't impressed to have her initials inked onto your butt for all eternity." Jane poured a large quantity of wine into her glass, then looked up at Gray. "Rumor has it you've been dating women with those initials ever since."

"Who told-" Gray screeched indignantly, then stopped himself. "That's not true," he said reasonably. "Aki Ross –"

"General Phillips herself told me," Jane shrugged. "We're poker buddies. And from what I heard about you and Aki, she was drunk, you were desperate –"

"We don't need to talk about this now," Gray said desperately, seeing his plans for the evening go down the drain. "Here, have some more wine," he added, topping her glass. Maybe, if she were drunk enough, she'd forget…

"Of course not. I want that bath," Jane said, giving Gray a push. Gray almost ruined it by questioning his good fortune, but he caught himself in time and smiled at Jane.

"I'll get the bath ready," he told her, hastily taking his leave.

XXX

They strolled along the beach, away from the sounds of the party until there was only the soft noises of the night. The full moon illuminated the world as if it were broad daylight, and Sid couldn't help but admire the beauty of the palm trees, the ocean, the soft sand under his paws… and the woman who kept pace with him.

Away from her husband, she seemed to come alive. There was a spring to her step, and she even gave a delighted twirl before flopping down in the sand after they'd come a suitable distance from the party. Sid lay beside her, tongue lolling, as she rested her hand between his ears. He'd gotten the impression she was seldom able to escape from her husband, and wondered how she'd gotten stuck with him in the first place. _I could bite her! She'd become stronger than him, and she could kill him and be free of him! We could run away together and be our own little pack. _He felt a momentary surge of guilt; he'd never had that thought about his wife. But then, she'd made it very clear that she didn't mind that he turned furry, just as long as he didn't drag her into it. Nicole, however, would probably love the freedom.

But he resisted the temptation. After all, who knew how she'd feel about him in the morning, when she saw him for who he was? And she would see; Sid had no intention of abandoning her now. He wasn't going to worry about that now, however; as a wolf, he liked to live for the moment, the here and now.

Besides, she'd started to rub his tummy, and he couldn't think clearly with that sensual touch scattering his senses. He writhed on his back, feet lashing the air, tail beating happily in the sand. When she rose to her feet, he whined at the loss… until Nicole began to strip off her clothing.

Sid watched, not bothering to hide his interest. It wasn't like he'd do anything in wolf form anyway; bestiality wasn't his thing. She was perfectly safe until morning. That didn't mean he couldn't swim with her, though, and he excitedly leapt in the water around her, generally making a fool of himself as she waded up to her chest into the calm water. He dogpaddled effortlessly beside her, enjoying the feel of the cool water on his skin, and the musical sound of her laughter as she watched him. He didn't think the night could get any better than this.

XXX

Gray didn't think the night could get any better than this. The tub was warm, the wine was cold, and Jane… well, she alternated between being both. Her rough exterior sometimes slipped, and Gray could glimpse the passionate woman beneath. _Why, _he wondered, _did Neil turn this woman down? Oh, well. His loss._ Gray leaned back against the rim of the tub, watching out of the corner of his eye as Jane wrapped a towel around herself to fetch another bottle of wine. Gray sighed as he left, closing his eyes and relaxing in the warm water.

Water sloshed over him as Jane slid back into the tub. "That was quick," Gray murmured without opening his eyes. "I'm glad. I missed you." With a mischievous grin, he suddenly rolled over and grabbed her tightly in his grip. "I _really _missed you," he said, burying his face into what he hoped was her bosom. Odd; he didn't remember her skin feeling quite so leathery…

"I leave you for a few seconds and already you have someone else," Jane said wryly. "Though I have to admit, you two make a really cute couple." Her voice was coming from… behind him! Gray's eyes snapped open, and he released what he'd been holding. When he got a good look at the object of his affections, he screamed and backed away, scrambling over the rim of the tub.

"How the hell did it get in here?" he cried, as the furless old dog paddled happily around the tub.

Jane shrugged. "I dunno… But you should have seen how you were holding it," she added with a sly grin. "I always knew you were an ass kisser," she said, then burst out laughing.

_She's laughing at me. Me! This date was going so well; why does that stupid dog keep ruining everything? _That was it; fear or no fear, Gray was going to keep this stupid mutt from further making him look like an idiot.

Gray leapt to his feet, nearly falling when his wet feet slipped on the tile. He snatched the wine bottle from Jane's grasp and sprang forward, landing beside the dog with a splash that splattered most of the water out of the tub. Blissfully oblivious, the dog continued trying to paddle around in an inch of water. "Die!" Gray screamed, raising the bottle and bringing it down on the old dog's head with all his strength.

Jane gave him a disgusted look. "Good work, mighty hero. You just brained a dog too senile to fight back." She wrapped the towel more tightly around herself and stalked out of the bathroom.

XXX

When Sid awoke that morning, curled in a burrow of sand a human body wasn't meant to fit in, he had no idea where he was. Alarmed, he sat up quickly, eyes darting around as he took in his bearings. When he saw the slight form sprawled on the sand a short distance away, the night came back to him. _Nicole, _he thought warmly, then stiffened. She'd come out here alone with what she'd assumed was a friendly dog. But she was married, and waking up by another man, a naked one, no less, would likely panic her.

So he did what any man suddenly finding himself nude on the beach would do; he ran like hell the seemingly endless distance to the main beach house, leaping the unconscious bodies of partiers as he frantically tried to remember where he'd left his clothing. It wouldn't do for one of Canada's premiere scientists to be seen like this at a party, after all. Sid frantically ran the length of the hedges, sighing in relief when he spotted his clothing neatly folded under one shrub that was adorned with a drunk's limp body. Lovely… With one last disgusted look at the remains of the previous night's party, Sid crouched between two vehicles and hastily clothed himself.

That done, he set off at a more leisurely pace to where he'd left Nicole, hoping she hadn't yet woken. Her husband had been one of those he'd jumped over, and Sid suspected he'd be out for hours. Plenty of time to get to know Nicole as a person. He already knew her as a wolf; the scent of her, the nuances of her body language, her voice… All signals that meant little to a human but meant the world to a wolf.

He arrived just in time, for Nicole was stirring in the sand, blinking sleepily as pushed herself into a sitting position. Her eyes found him and widened, all signs of sleep gone. "Oh," she said, sounding surprised and a little frightened. "Who are you?"

"I'm Sid." He offered his hand, which she hesitantly took. "Dr. Sid, actually, but I can't help but think that makes me sound old."

"Sid?" she repeated uncertainly. "Just 'Sid?'"

"Yeah." He didn't want to explain further.

"I'm Nicole H… Hackett," she said quickly. She was lying about her name, Sid sensed. So she wasn't happy with her marriage, after all.

"I appreciate you taking care of my dog last night," he said. "He doesn't like crowds, but I couldn't leave him behind." Sid scowled. "I didn't want to be here, either, but the man throwing the party is a friend of mine. I spent the night huddled in my room, trying to sleep."

"Your dog? He's beautiful… Where is he?" Her eyes were wide. "My husband hit him with the car… Is he all right? He seemed fine last night…"

Sid smiled reassuringly. He felt perfectly fine, truth to tell. "Wolf's doing just great. I had to put him in my room, though, because I didn't want him marking any drunks as his territory."

Nicole smiled hesitantly. "His name's Wolf? It's very fitting." Then her face fell, and she looked down the beach towards the house. "I should get going. There's someone waiting for me."

"Everyone's too drunk to get up from their own piles of vomit, much less actually notice you're missing," Sid said bluntly. "It's disgusting."

She sighed. "Yes, it is, isn't it…" She looked up at him and smiled, a real smile this time. "Since you're actually conscious, maybe you'd like to… take a walk?"

"I'd be glad to," Sid smiled, gallantly offering his arm.

XXX

"Is it dead?" Gray started as Jane's voice came from behind. He'd thought she'd left him for good!

Gray looked up from where he was boldly poking the dog's nose with his toothbrush. He smiled, relieved. "You came back!"

She rolled her eyes. "I was worried about the dog," she said, _crouching_ down by him. "I'm starting to like the old bastard." She examined the lump on its head, twin to the other one Gray had given it earlier. "Poor thing," she said, gathering it into her arms. Gray gaped wordlessly as she walked out, seemingly uncaring that all she wore was a towel. Gray followed, desperate to catch her. He ignored the whistles and hoots of the soldiers he passed, thinking at first they were making them at Jane until it suddenly occurred to him to wonder: Had he bothered to get dressed before he'd left his apartment? Had he even grabbed a towel?

Gray glanced down. _No… Oi…_

Really, he shouldn't be surprised. This was the perfect end to a perfect day.

XXX

It was the perfect end to a perfect day. Sid sat with Nicole, watching the sun set. The moon was waning tonight, so he could spend the night with her, if she wanted it. And from the way she was looking at him, she wanted it. They both knew nothing could last between them, but at least for the night, they could escape reality. Tonight, his marriage wasn't falling apart, and she wasn't stuck with an overbearing oaf. Tonight, they could pretend everything was perfect.

Of course, if she didn't keep asking about 'Wolf,' things would've been less awkward.

Tentatively, he leaned over, drawing her face close to his. He searched her face for any sign of refusal, but saw that she was as eager as he. He close his eyes, and their lips touched…

"What are you doing?"

Sid blinked. There was no sign of refusal, so he leaned over to kiss her…

"You really are an old letch, aren't you?"

_This isn't right, _Sid thought in confusion. Nicole wanted him, right?

"Yeah, I'm glad you're alive, now get off me!"

That wasn't Nicole… And with that realization, the world shattered around him, and suddenly Sid became aware of the drab grey surroundings of the post-Phantom-landing world, of his wrinkled, decrepit wolf's body… and the fact that he had his paws on Jane Proudfoot's chest.

_What the hell? _Sid backed away, shocked. One moment he'd been with Nicole, and now he was here… No… Nicole was in the past. She was long dead; he'd only been living a memory.

Physically as well as mentally, it seemed, if he'd been about to kiss Jane Proudfoot. His eyes widened as he wondered just how much he'd re-enacted, and how had he done it? His fur smelled alcohol and… bath soap? And Proudfoot wore only a sodden towel.

Huh. On second thought, Sid was rather unhappy he'd woken when he had. It might have been fun to let it go further… _Argh! What am I thinking? If I'd licked her mouth, I could have infected her! _But then, if he'd had a lady friend, he wouldn't be obsessing about Aki's love life and endangering himself in the process, now would he?

Jane stroked his head, rubbing the toughened flesh idly. "You're a pretty cool dog, you know that? I didn't think I'd have any fun on my date with Gray tonight, but you really livened things up." She grinned. "I may just have to go out with him again. Are you busy this weekend?"

Sid decided then and there that he _didn't _want to know what he'd been up to during his lapse.

He whined, and she let him go. He rolled off her lap and trotted to the door. She let him out with another quick pat, calling after him, "Stay away from Gray for now; I don't think you could handle another blow to the head."

Ah. So that was the reason for his headache. Sid would have to whip up something… interesting to give to Gray in the lab tomorrow.

Sid was on his way to his room, then stopped. _Nicole… _He'd tried not to think of her over the years, even when his wife had found out about the little affair and promptly had him neutered. But now the memories were fresh in his mind, and he didn't think he'd be able to sleep the rest of the night. Instead, he went up to the roof, gazing upwards. The barrier's harsh light obscured the stars, so he shut his eyes and recalled the vastness from all those years ago, how they'd seemed to glow all the brighter during that one night with Nicole.

He threw back and howled, a sound that was tremulous and weak at first, but somehow deepened and became the melancholy call of a true wolf. He mourned for that night almost thirty-six years ago, and the loss of a young woman whose spirit had been crushed by her husband.

But at least he'd given her something her husband had never been able to give her. It was the reason Elizabeth had been so incensed by his one little liaison. Had it just been a little one night stand, she'd have let it pass. But Sid had given Nicole a son.

Sid fell silent, listening to the cries of the Phantoms beyond the barrier echo his own haunting song. The thought of his only child made him ache, for the man he'd become would never know. It was fortunate that, physically, he looked like his mother, for Anthony had never suspected. But sometimes, Sid wished his son had inherited some of his mother's softness instead of his real father's hard head.

Sid felt the pull of the moon as it neared the horizon, and he opened his eyes, turning to go back to his room before the moon disappeared from the sky. His heart was heavy as he thought about lost love, and lost chances. If only he'd never let her go…

It was no use thinking about bygones, Sid thought as he wound his way through the mostly silent corridors to his room. If he thought about it now, it would drive him mad. Much as he hated to, he'd have to forget he'd ever loved Nicole Hein.

The End


	3. Young Whippersnapper

**Summary: **A 'misadventure' in which Sid meets another of his kind who just doesn't have a clue...

Disclaimer: Ah ha, welcome back to this twisted little interpretation of the wonderful world created by Square.

Author's Note: Yes, I went ahead and wrote a third one. I find them quite therapeutic, meself. What does that say about me that I soothe myself by playing with the lives of others? Poor, poor others… And I want to credit Ntrophi for being the first person to call Major Elliot 'Eli.' I'm sure it's what she's always wanted to be known for. This is just a pointless little fic that I did to get my mind of some of the problems Real Life is currently throwing in my direction. Tell me, how does one go about getting disowned? I don't want my family anymore…

_**Young Whippersnapper**_

_The Misadventures of Dr. Sid, Aging Werewolf_

"Sid? Are you home?" Aki called, barging into her mentor's apartment. She gave no thought to the fact that he might not want her there, having never considered that he might have a life outside of the lab. (He didn't, really, but he tried not to advertise the fact.) Seeing that he wasn't around, she shrugged and proceeded to open every cabinet in his apartment, whistling cheerfully. Where did he keep his shampoo, she wondered? She didn't have time to run to the store before her dear Eli-poo picked her up. Did Sid even keep shampoo anymore? Aki opened the cabinet beneath the sink, and immediately forgot the shampoo.

"Why, Doctor," she murmured, pulling out a bottle of Chardonnay that had nestled with a dozen similar bottles. "What have you been hiding?" The bottles were all full, and each was carefully corked. He must have been hording these for quite awhile, and he'd done a good job of concealing his habit. She'd had no idea he had a drinking problem.

Aki glanced back into the vacant apartment, then carefully stuffed the bottle she'd grabbed into her bag. He wouldn't miss one bottle, would he?

Pleased about her little act of theft, Aki ran back to her apartment. This stuff was impossible to find for a reasonable price; there were so few orchards left that wineries were too expensive to maintain. To find a bottle of wine without having to pay in the triple digits… Aki laughed with delight. Eli would be thrilled.

Eli… shoot! Her date! He was going to be at her apartment in twenty minutes, and she hadn't even showered…

She barely made it. She was just adjusting her dress when she heard a knock at the door, and she rushed to answer and let her beloved inside. The major looked dashing in his tuxedo and he eyed her dress appreciatively. He was the only man she'd ever met whose gaze never came to rest on her cleavage, though that was probably because, thanks to the chest plate, she didn't have any. Fortunately, he was creative enough to find other ways to amuse himself…

"Ready?" he asked. Aki nodded, a little breathless from her dash to the door.

"Look what I found," she said, pointing to the bottle she'd purloined from Sid's cabinet. "We can drink it after the movie."

Elliot grinned. "I've got the keys to the general's office," he purred. "He's having another one of his 'nights out.'" The major looked momentarily baffled. "I wonder what he means by that, anyway?"

"Who cares?" Aki grinned. "I love that leather chair of his."

Unfortunately, their plans were not to be… After the movie, they'd barely been in Hein's office five minutes when they'd heard… something at the doorway. Aki and Elliot slipped out, leaving the bottle of Chardonnay behind.

XXX

_If she doesn't stop giggling, I am going to hurt her. _Dr. Sid smiled at his protégé, who, blissfully unaware of his destructive thoughts, smiled back at him, letting loose another giggle. Dr. Sid sighed, wonder why Aki had to lose her mind right now. This experiment was important, and here she was acting like a complete bubblehead.

"Have a good night last night?" Dr. Sid asked, making his tone as innocent as possible. Aki blushed and turned away, finally trying to focus on the computer screen before her. _At least I know they weren't in the lab last night. It was locked up tight. There was no way she and Major Elliot could get in. _

Still, he seriously wished their relationship would end, or at least come out into the open. Aki seemed to be one of those people who got off on the fear of discovery. If they made their relationship publicly known, then that thrill would be gone and they'd break up. Dr. Sid suddenly wondered if he could arrange for that to happen without her knowing he was behind it.

When he saw Aki's spine stiffen, Dr. Sid jolted out of his insidious plotting and became aware that someone had entered the lab and was standing behind him. He didn't have to look to identify the intruder; General Hein exuded an aura of menace that was almost a physical sensation. "General," the doctor said, turning slowly. "To what do we owe the pleasure of you company?"

Hein waved his gloved hand irritably. "The military funds your little experiments, Doctor. I reserve the right to check in on this waste of money when I choose to."

Dr. Sid frowned. Hein was normally an unfriendly person, but this was more brusque than usual. _Great; he's in a lousy mood, so he's here to take it out on us. Maybe he's fighting with Corporal Fleming. _Dr. Sid smirked at the thought. _Aw, a lover's spat… This could be fun, actually._

"Something amusing, Doctor?" Hein snarled.

"No," Dr. Sid said calmly. He was about to say more, then hesitated when he saw the expression in Hein's eyes. His face was paler than normal, and his eyes seemed abnormally bright. His mouth was twisted into a grimace. In fact, now that he thought about it, Hein hadn't been looking very well the past few days. He nearly asked if the man was all right, but stopped himself in time. The general wouldn't take the question very well coming from him. "I think you'll find everything is in order, sir," Dr. Sid said

Hein just grunted. He walked away from Dr. Sid and Aki, off to terrorize the other scientists. Major Elliot, who was nearly inseparable from his superior when he wasn't glued to Aki, it seemed, lingered to place one hand over Aki's. Dr. Sid pretended not to notice. "I apologize if he bothered you," Elliot murmured. He was obviously trying to speak too softly for Dr. Sid to hear, but he didn't know about the doctor's unnatural sense of hearing. "It's awful, I know." _Good God, you'd think Hein threatened her, when all he did was speak a few words to _meIt made him sick. "He hasn't been feeling well these past few days. That's why he came back to the office early last night."

_Die, die, die… I don't need to hear about this! Stupid werewolf senses! _If he stuck his fingers in his ears, would they notice? _Do they think I don't see or hear this? How can they expect to keep it secret when they're practically making out right in front of the entire lab?_

Disgusted, Dr. Sid turned away. As he did, his eyes found General Hein, who was supporting himself against the wall as though his legs could no longer take his weight. What was wrong with him?

XXX

Any problems the general may have had were forgotten later that night. The moon was full, the corridors were empty, and Sid had had a brilliant idea to improve his hunting. That rat that had eluded him the last time wouldn't be so lucky in their next encounter. For Sid carried with him the ultimate weapon and best friend to one whose teeth were too worn for tearing flesh: A blender.

_Come out, come out, wherever you are, _Sid thought as he slunk along the walls, seeking any sign of his prey. He'd encountered rat spoor a few hallways back, but his nose insisted the vermin made their nest somewhere around here.

General Hein would be pissed if he knew the exterminators had somehow managed to miss a colony large enough to take on the whole USMF. Maybe they were poised to take over if the human race lost to the Phantoms. Disturbing thought.

Well, he was here to prevent that. That rat may have won the first round, but this time, Sid was hunting with a secret weapon. He grinned, baring uneven yellow teeth glistening with saliva, as he caught a particularly fresh scent of prey. He set down the blender he carried, then crept forward, keeping as quiet as a body that creaked and groaned with every step allowed. He could scent that it wasn't the same rat, but it smelled similar enough to be one of its kin. He licked his lips in anticipation. Rat puree; what a delicacy that would be.

He saw his prey as a dark blur in the shadows and sprang forward, jaws wide, ready for the grab. The hapless rodent was only a foot away when a large, dark shape flowed out of the darkness and brought one clawed foot down on the rat, which squealed in pain as it was crushed beneath razor sharp talons. Sid skidded to a halt and nearly slammed into the vision of darkness before him.

It was a nightmare made flesh. Waves of thick black fur covered a muscular lupine body, and the pointed muzzle parted to reveal rows of perfect white teeth bared in a demonic grin. Its eyes caught what little light there was and reflected it red, as red as the blood oozing from the rat's body as it casually flipped the corpse into its maw. It crunched down, chewing and swallowing, then using one ebony claw to fish the rat's tail from its teeth and flick it towards Sid.

For the first time in his life, Sid suddenly understood just why people were afraid of werewolves. For that was what this unholy hound of hell was; a lycanthrope, like himself.

_Crap… I am so dead…_

"_You," _the beast growled. _"I know you. You're that mangy mutt…"_

Sid, who'd been cringing like a good submissive inferior wolf with his eyes closed, cracked one yellow eye. _Oh, good, conversation. Maybe this is a fight I can win. _

"_I didn't know another werewolf had moved in on my territory," _Sid said, drawing himself up and trying to look as fierce as possible.

"_What the hell? I understood you!" _The wolf flicked its – no, his – ears around in confusion. _"Wait, what did you call me?"_

As Sid absorbed the beast's obvious bafflement, he suddenly realized that this creature was newly made; going through his first change, in fact. But… how? Who was he? Who had made him? _"A werewolf."_

There was something almost familiar about the expression on the beast's face as it regarded him. _"A werewolf. Uh-huh." _He sounded as if he were humoring Sid.

"_You have to tell me who made you. Do you have any idea who attacked you?" _The threat of another werewolf in Sid's territory wasn't something to be taken lightly, especially not one who had no qualms about making others. Sid had hunted and killed, but he'd never made another of his kind. Well, except for that door to door salesman who hadn't left Sid alone, but he'd honestly meant to kill that man. He hadn't expected that he'd be fought off with the man's silver fillings. But that didn't count!

"_I'm not a werewolf," _the other snorted derisively.

"_Oh? So talking to dogs and eating rats is normal for you?" _Some werewolves took to the change by becoming vicious monsters. Some, like Sid, embraced their beast and became one with it, after the traumatizing first change. Sid had never met one that hadn't even noticed it had changed.

"_This is a dream. I had too much to drink and I passed out." _He cocked his head as he considered. _"It wasn't a good drink, come to think of it. I didn't even get that nice little alcohol buzz, and it tasted awful. Huh, maybe it made me sick and I'm hallucinating. Or dying." _He began to examine his paws with an unconcerned air.

_Oh, good… And here I thought this was going to be difficult. _

He had to find a way to get through to the other wolf. Because when the reality of his situation finally sank in, Sid had no doubt the other would freak. _"All right," _Sid said cautiously. As long as the other was being calm about this, Sid saw no reason to alarm him just yet. It would make getting information easier. Maybe. _"Did you have any… dreams about being bitten?"_

The black werewolf unconcernedly began to lick the blood off his claws, and Sid threw the rat tail at him to get his attention. The other caught it in his teeth with a move like a striking snake; sinuous and lightning-fast. _His reactions… Dear God, he's faster than I ever was!_

"_This grows tiring, mutt," _the other said, getting to his feet. _"I'm not going to waste a perfectly good dream talking to a senile old hound like yourself. Werewolves…" _The other made a barking sound reminiscent of a sarcastic laugh. With a fluid twist, he turned back the direction he'd come and broke into a lope, claws ticking loudly on the tile. Within moments, his shadowy pelt was lost in the darkness.

Sid groaned as he realized it was his duty to catch the other before he got into serious trouble. Sooner or later, the truth would sink in through his thick skull, and the young wolf would react in the only way his kind knew how on the night of their first change: by lashing out at the world. _Maybe I'll get lucky, and someone will shoot him before he becomes a problem. _No, he decided after a moment, as he trotted down the hall after the black werewolf, while the other's death would mean there was less threat to the human population or to Sid's position as Alpha wolf, he needed to know who had bitten the other. _Hopefully, it happened to him on some visit or mission outside the city, or something._ He was going to have enough trouble just dealing with this one wolf; he didn't want to think what would happen if there were two of them here.

Tracking the younger wolf was easier than Sid had hoped. He was making no effort to hide himself by laying false trails and backtracking. The heavy musk of the other's scent was like a signpost to Sid's sensitive nose. Only the coppery tang of blood where the corpse of another rat lay distracted Sid for a moment as he sniffed to see if it was _his _rat. _Wonder why he didn't eat this one; maybe something I said got through to him. _Sid picked the body up in his jaws, since leaving the mangled corpse for someone to find in the morning wouldn't be wise, and his pride (as well as his lack of teeth) wouldn't allow him to eat another wolf's kill. He'd dispose of it in the kitchen dumpster, since the trail seemed to be going in the same general direction.

And it was in the dumpster where he found the young wolf. He'd crawled halfway in, with his rear hanging over the edge, tail thumping happily as a crackling noise carried clearly to Sid's ears. The youngster had found something else to eat, apparently. _From rats to trash… whoever this guy is, he's going to be mortified tomorrow when he realizes what he's been eating. _

_Still, it has to be better than waking up to realize he was snacking on human beings all night. Unless he's eating a hobo that was living in there. _Sid crept up behind the other, suddenly feeling mischievous. He set the rat's body on the ground, then threw back his head and howled.

He was rewarded with a startled yelp, and the black wolf scrabbled at the edge of the dumpster, before falling forward into the garbage. After a moment, the werewolf raised his head up, giving Sid a fierce glare. Or at least, as fierce as anything could look with a bag of potato chips stuck over one ear and coffee grinds on his muzzle. Sid's barking laughter only made the other angrier. _This is fun! I've never met another werewolf as moronic as this one is! _

"_You again," _the other snarled, pulling himself over the edge and plopping down beside Sid. _"Why do you keep following me?" _He flicked his ear, and the chip bag drifted gently to the floor.

"_Because I need to know why you changed," _Sid said. _"If there's another werewolf around here, I need to know." _

Dark eyes gazed at him, unblinking. _"You're not going to let this go, are you?" _he said irritably. _"Look, I told you. There are no werewolves. This is just an alcohol-induced dream that I'm having. Believe me, if this were real, I wouldn't be eating garbage or marking territory. I haven't seen _any _animals for months, except you, of course. And no human has bitten me, either, before you say anything. Now, leave me alone. I want to enjoy this before I wake up and spend all morning kneeling before the porcelain god." _He flicked his tail at Sid, sending the greasy, unidentifiable chunks that had stuck to it flying.

_This makes no sense! He's not acting like any werewolf I've ever seen, as if the curse isn't working quite right with him. And he's adamant about not having been bitten; I'm tempted to believe he's not lying about that. So, what's going on here?_

Sid absently tossed the rat body into the dumpster, then began to follow the other's trail, which had become even more obvious now that the younger wolf had bathed in garbage. He racked his brain for any clue to what was happening. _What could cause this… _A thought suddenly occurred to him. _ Oh, shit… _

The other had said he'd been drinking, something that had tasted awful and hadn't even given him a buzz. The werewolf curse passed through saliva, something which Sid had a lot of stored in wine bottles under his bathroom sink. _Aki! _He'd scented her in his apartment the other day, and had known she'd come in while he was gone. But he hadn't known why… and he certainly hadn't expected her to go poking around in his bathroom. If she had taken it, then she likely would have shared it with Major Elliot.

That meant that they were werewolves. Temporarily, anyway. But if this younger wolf was Elliot – and Sid had no way to really tell, since its scent matched no humans and its words were expressed through growls and body language, not a recognizable voice – then where was Aki? Sid groaned, and his shoulders slumped. He really didn't want to think about the possibility of another new wolf causing trouble. Then again, she hadn't shown up yet, so maybe Elliot had drunk alone.

_And what if Elliot reports this to General Hein? I really don't need him to figure out I tried to kill him that month… and if he found out about werewolves and knew we're invulnerable to Phantoms, he may do something drastic…_

Maybe it would be better to go on letting him think that this was all just a dream. He could encourage the other to continue believing that, and no one would be the wiser. All he had to do was make sure the other didn't do anything that would have serious consequences. Which meant… _Agh, I'm going to have to baby-sit the young idiot… The sun just isn't going to rise fast enough._

He stepped up his pace, following the young wolf's scent back they way they'd come. Sid paused to pick up his blender. It was expensive, after all, and the only means he had of eating his kills.

Where was the moron, anyway? The trail lead past a bathroom, and the antiseptic fumes confused his senses and he lost track of the black werewolf. He went further down the corridor, but could find no trace of the wolf. Growling, Sid backtracked towards the bathroom.

_Oh dear God… Tell me that he isn't really drinking out of one of the toilets… "You are giving our species a bad name!" _Sid growled, grabbing the younger wolf by the scruff of his neck and yanking him away.

"_Dogs do this all the time," _the wolf said reasonably. _"I just wanted to see what it was like." _A disgusted look crossed his features. _"I don't get it." _

"_Look; why don't you just go back to your bed? The night is almost over, and there's not too much more you can do around here with all the offices locked up and even the night shift is gone by now. You won't be missing anything." _Sid put himself between the black wolf and the door, giving him no choice but to listen.

The other wolf appeared to consider this. _"No, I think not." _The look on his face was suddenly savage; the first true werewolf-ish expression Sid had seen since he'd first ran in to the other wolf. _"You just don't want me to have fun, do you?" _ He leaped, his powerful legs carrying him up and over Sid. He landed gracefully, flashing a grin full of razor-sharp teeth in Sid's direction. _"You know, I don't have much time left until I wake up, and there's something that I've been wanting to do. There are some people I'd like to see. One of them told me to… 'bite him.' I think I'll oblige." _

Sid didn't think; he flung the blender at the other wolf's head. He expected the other's superior reflexes to kick in and dodge the blow, but there was a satisfying _clunk _as it brained the younger werewolf. The expression on his face was comical to behold.

He yowled. _"I… I felt that!" _He sat heavily on his rump and rubbed his head with his paw.

"_You can't go around biting-" Sid_ began.

The other ignored him. He was staring down at his paw as if seeing this for the first time. _"This is a dream! That shouldn't have hurt!" _Before Sid could stop him, the wolf raked his claws across his own forearm, watching the blood well up with a morbid fascination. _"I felt that, too. This… this is real! What the hell is going on!"_ He whirled on Sid, a deep growl escaping from his throat. _"You did this to me, didn't you?" _He took a step towards Sid, then another. _"Make it go away! I can't be like this!"_

"_It's not permanent!" _Sid said, his words sounding shrill to his own ears. _"The alcohol you drank, it was Chardonnay, right?"_

"_Yes," _the other said. _"Though it didn't taste like any Chardonnay I've ever had. It must have been a bad year."_

"_What you actually had was a bottle of werewolf saliva. Mine, actually… I drool a bit excessively. Old age, you know. And werewolf venom is passed through the saliva."_

"_This isn't doing a lot to assure me." _A dangerous gleam entered the other's eyes, and once again, Sid saw red flicker in the depths of his night-dark eyes.

"_The venom must enter your bloodstream," _Sid said. _"At the moment, it's in your stomach, being digested. While some will diffuse into your bloodstream, it will be a more dilute form, due to digestion. Basically, what you drank gave you a temporary curse, but once it passes through your body, you'll be fine."_

The other wolf considered this. _"So, it's just for tonight?"_

"_Unless you bit yourself or licked a wound," _Sid assured him. _"Um, you didn't, did you?"_

"_No." _The wolf stared at him. _"How can you be so sure about this?"_

"_I've done experiments," _Sid said smugly.

"_Experiments…" _Dark eyes narrowed. _"A scientist, are you?" _His eyes suddenly widened. _"You're Dr. Sid, aren't you!" _

"_Ah…" _Crap, what had the other pulled _that _conclusion from? There were several scientists based in the USMF buildings alone!

"_I should kill you," _the wolf whispered.

"_Ah… you could," _Sid said weakly, _"but the moon is going to set soon. If I were you, I'd go back to your room before you changed back. Do you know how embarrassing it is to change back in public and run back to your room naked?"_

He hadn't realized how close to moonset it was, but now he could feel its hold on him diminishing. They had maybe fifteen minutes before they changed back. Sid pushed past the other wolf, grabbing his now-dented blender before turning to the other. _"We can discuss this later," _Sid said, then set off at an awkward lope. The other wolf looked ready to pursue him, then thought better and turned to head in the opposite direction.

Hopefully, the major would be easier to deal with tomorrow.

XXX

"Oh, good, you're here." Dr. Sid said the next morning as he entered the lab. He smiled at Major Elliot, who had been talking quietly to Aki. Guiltily, they moved away from each other, as that could hide the fact that they'd been groping each other moments before._ They must think I'm slow, if they think I wouldn't notice anything that obvious. _"I want to talk to you about last night." He gave Aki a significant look and jerked his head towards the door. She didn't get the hint and stayed where she was, staring blankly at him. "Last night was an accident," Dr. Sid continued. "It only happened because of the drink. I promise you, it won't happen again. What went on was between you and me; so let's keep it our little secret, okay?" He patted the major on his shoulder.

Aki's eyes almost popped out of her head as she heard this. Her gaze darted back and forth between Elliot and Sid, and her lips moved soundlessly for a moment. Finally, she managed a strangled "Eww!" and ran out of the lab.

Sid thought about chasing after her and correcting her before she thought too much about _that _horrifying image, then reconsidered. _If she thinks Elliot would actually… well… with me, then maybe she won't be too eager to see him again any time soon, and my lab will be safe. _

He turned away, completely missing Elliot's befuddled expression. If he'd seen it, he'd have realized the major had no clue what he was talking about. And it would be much, much later before he remembered how the younger wolf had greeted him – _"I know you. You're that mangy mutt…" _– and realize that Elliot had never seen him in his wolf form.

But someone else had.

XXX

"So what's the news?" Hein asked curtly as the doctor finally deigned to return. He considered having the man shot for keeping the highest ranking military officer in New York waiting for two hours. He didn't need this. He'd spent a lousy morning regurgitating rat remains and coming to terms with the fact that he had in fact been a werewolf the previous night. As well as coming to terms with the fact that the horrible, horrible dream he'd had several months ago after first encountering that mangy mutt about waking up with Dr. Sid naked on top of him was a very real incident.

"Nothing serious," the doctor said, perhaps sensing his danger and getting straight to the point. "You're suffering from a stomach ulcer. Not unusual in a man with as strenuous job yours, sir. All you have to do…"

Hein didn't hear the rest of what the man had to say. _An ulcer… An open wound in my stomach… An open wound…_ And he'd been suffering from this condition for days, which meant the wound had been there for awhile… giving Sid's saliva the opportunity to fully enter his bloodstream.

The End…?


	4. Once Upon a Midnight Dreary

**Summary: **A belated Halloween 'Misadventure' in which something is found in the labs...

Disclaimer: All FF:TSW characters belong to Square. The title and other randomly inserted quotes are from the brilliant Edgar Allen Poe's poem "The Raven." If there are any complaints about how I copied the verses, I apologize. That's how they appear in the book I used for reference.

Author's Note: This contribution to my growing series is different in tone from the previous installments. This was meant as a special Halloween story, and it has a darker, creepier tone befitting the holiday. It's actually serious! I'm sorry I never got it out on time, but I had to get "Young Whippersnapper" done first, and that one just wasn't coming to me… I'm not sure why I decided to fuse it with a Poe poem; I guess it's out of respect for one of my favorite authors, though I doubt I did him justice. I don't know what I was thinking when I wrote this – it's a bit weird – but it's part of the 'Misadventure' continuity, and I want to get it off my computer.

Edit: This fic previously made use of the Poe poem 'The Raven.' Thanks to nazi-ism, I removed the poem, and I'm afraid the story loses some of its impact. Find it on Ovo's Soul Haven website for the proper version.

_**Once Upon a Midnight Dreary**_

_The Misadventures of Dr. Sid, Aging Werewolf_

Sid shifted his position, gathering his long, skinny rear legs under his haunches and dangling his front paws over the edge of the ledge as he tried to keep comfortable. His body already felt stiff from sitting too long in one place; his efforts to distract himself by mentally reciting what he recalled from his readings of Poe were in vain. Yellow eyes gazed unblinking at the window across the way from his position, ears flicked to and fro to catch any sound.

Perhaps his vigil was folly. He had no proof, after all… None but what could be the dementia of an aging mind. Perhaps the soft sounds he'd heard the previous night were nothing more than memories of days past, when he'd been a werewolf in his prime. Perhaps he was only looking for trouble, not being burdened enough as it was.

Or perhaps there was indeed something else hunting the streets of New York.

Sid tensed at a rustling sound from somewhere behind him, but it was only an occupant of the building behind him closing the curtain for the night, shutting out the cheerful glow that had disguised the barrier's ugly illumination. He settled his body back into a more relaxed position, embarrassed by his reaction. He decided to distract himself with remembering his poetry courses, and the first thing that came to mind was "The Raven."

Idly, Sid wondered why it was Poe that he'd chosen to amuse himself with. He'd memorized many a cheerful romantic poem to enchant his wife with, but the darker tone of the ancient poet was fitting on this blackest of holidays. Halloween. Somehow, it always felt different to Sid when the full moon fell on the holiday, as if there was indeed some truth to the tales told so long ago. It was why he'd chosen tonight to stalk his prey. Tonight, his body didn't feel decrepit. His blood seemed to sing with power, and if it weren't for the bare patches in his fur, he'd almost be mistaken for being much younger.

A soft scuffling sound reminded Sid of his task, and he flattened his body to the ledge so as not to be seen, his eyes on the window before him. The pane had been pushed up, and something within the darkness of the apartment wrestled with the screen for a moment before finally tearing it free with razor sharp claws. _So you are infected, _Sid thought grimly as a black shape flowed out of the window, dropping onto the fire escape and agilely navigating the steep steps to the street below. _Couldn't resist the call of the moon tonight, General, could you? _Sid waited until the dark wolf had passed beneath him and into the street before dropping into the alley himself, his old bones barely creaking as he landed.

Slinking, sliding softly beneath the flickering leers of the plastic jack-o-lanterns squatting on window sills, Sid followed the dark wolf's weaving pattern down the block, ducking behind trash cans whenever he sensed the other's backward glance. His prey was following the line of the interconnected USMF buildings, a move which Sid grudgingly approved of. He'd suspected this was why no one had seen the massive wolf in the halls; the dark one was keeping outside the buildings and entering and exiting through the windows.

When the creature paused beneath the windows to the first floor labs, what was left of Sid's hackles rose along his spine. _So you _are _the one who's been destroying the lab, you bastard. _He'd tried to give the other the benefit of the doubt; it was always possible, after all, that Aki and Major Elliot had continued their secret liaisons within the lab. Sid had thought he'd frightened Aki off when he'd told her he kept flesh eating bacteria in the lab and refused to tell her where it was located. But last night, the lab had again been vandalized, and this time, he'd known it couldn't be Aki, because she'd left the previous morning for Moscow, to locate the third spirit.

He waited a few moments, then followed. While his leap through the window lacked the younger wolf's grace, he landed silently. Careful to keep the nubs of his claws from scraping the floor, he took a few tentative sniffs, then followed the scent trail the general had left behind. It wasn't necessary; Hein was heading straight towards the labs on the fourth floor, the heart of the Bio-Etheric Center. He was able to judge the distance between himself and the younger wolf by the faint scuffing of Hein's claws; he was too new to have learned how to keep his claws raised off the floor.

Sid lost the scent on the fourth floor; someone had spilled chemicals nearby and hadn't cleaned up; the acrid odor stung his nostrils and made his eyes tear. _Where is he? I know he's up here, somewhere…_ Sid strained his ears, holding his breath so he could hear the faintest of noises. There was a soft sound somewhere ahead and to his left, one he recognized as being used by a scientist that had recently transferred from Houston, and Sid's tongue lolled as he grinned. _Gotcha!_

The keypad to the lab yielded to his paws, and the door opened with a soft hiss that sounded unnaturally loud in the stillness. The noise stopped, and Sid froze. Then, after the moment, there was a hollow metallic _clang! _Sid lunged forward, darting around the bulk of a lab table to catch the saboteur at the scene of the crime.

Sid squatted down, at a loss. There was nothing here… nothing. He couldn't even smell the younger lycanthrope. _Where is he?_

And a better question: What had he heard in the lab? The first noise he'd heard, the one that had drawn him to the lab, had sounded almost like a rustling. He'd heard something like it before; the rasp of feathers. Was there a bird in this lab? But then, why couldn't he smell it?

None of his business. He wouldn't want other scientists interfering with his experiments; he'd treat them with the same respect. He turned away… and was brought up short by a blot of darkness in the shadows, black on black. Sid's lips drew back from his teeth in a snarl, but the younger wolf was unmoved by his display.

"_You," _Hein growled.

"_Surprised to see me? I know what you're doing here. You're the one who's been destroying experiments," _Sid snarled angrily.

Hein bristled, his teeth gleaming even in the darkness. _"Spare me, Doctor. I may have no love for the scientific community, but I wouldn't destroy millions of dollars worth of equipment. The cost of replacing them takes money away from the Zeus."_

"_Then what are you doing here? Distilling your own alcohol now?"_

"_Don't you sense it? It's here." _Hein's inhuman voice was laced with an emotion Sid couldn't place. _"Damn you, old man… Ever since your _spit _did this to me, I've felt something wrong up here in the labs. I can't come up here anymore without my hackles rising."_

Sid's ears flattened. He wanted to snap at the younger wolf and put him in his place, but something stopped him. There had been a few times last week when he'd felt something strange. Not in his own lab, but in passing in the halls, or within another of the multiple labs… Nothing he could define, but a wrongness.

He was shocked that such a new werewolf would have picked up on it; Hein must be very sensitive.

"_I admit it; I _was _in here last night. But that's because I was looking for it. Doctor, are you hiding something?" _He could hear Hein's suspicion, as well as that other, unidentified emotion. Was it fear?

The soft fluttering noise came again, and both wolves tensed. _"So you do hear that," _Hein said. _"Do you know what it is?"_

"_It sounds like a bird," _Sid said reluctantly. He waited for the younger wolf to scoff at him, but Hein appeared to be listening. _"I heard it over there…" _Sid nodded his head towards where he'd searched before,_ "but that time, it sounded like… like…"_

"_Like it was behind that door," _Hein completed. At the back of the lab, they could faintly see the gleam of metal, the door to one of the lab's inner compartments. _"What's back there?"_

"_I have no idea; I haven't been in here since Dr. Carter took it over. In fact, this lab is usually locked up tight." _How the hell had he even been able to get in? The door had opened just at a touch; that wouldn't have happened had the door been locked. _"Did you break the lock?"_

"_I followed you in. I couldn't get in here last night." _

Sid rocked to his haunches, considering. The polite thing to do would be to leave. He had what he'd come for; he knew Hein was in fact a werewolf, and that he had at least been in the labs last night. By investigating the noise, he could destroy Dr. Carter's experiments and be just as guilty as Hein was. The noise he'd heard was likely just a part of the experiment. Machinery or something.

The noise came again, louder, reverberating around the deserted lab. Sid and Hein exchanged glances. Hein's hackles had risen, and Sid felt his own thin brush of fur bristle. He felt it now: that strange, indefinable sensation that Hein had tried to describe. Wrongness. _Evil…_

Sid trotted forward, pausing before the door and cocking his head. The light by the lock was green, same as the one on the outer door. He glanced over at Hein. _"This door's unlocked, too. Why now? It's like… someone's inviting us in."_

"_I say we accept," _Hein said, taking a tentative step forward. Sid batted him with a paw, and Hein halted, growling.

"_If we're going in there, we're in this together," _Sid snarled. _"Don't do anything to endanger my life, got it?"_

He waited for the younger wolf to protest. Hein seemed to be a natural Alpha, like Sid himself, and wolf packs had only one Alpha. It was difficult for two dominant creatures, be they beast or man, to work together. But to his surprise, Hein offered a paw and said, _"Truce?"_

"_Truce," _Sid accepted. He reared up, balancing precariously on his rear legs. Hein moved to the side, where he'd be able to see inside without being seen, and he'd be out of the way if something came through the door. Taking a deep breath, Sid pushed the button to open the door.

The door hissed open, revealing a maw of darkness. Soft sounds came to their ears, sounds like echoes over vast distances. The blackness was complete; what little light that had filtered into the lab was swallowed once it reached past the door. The scent that reached their sensitive noses was the antiseptic odor of a hospital, with an underlying odor of… what? The scent was so faint, Sid couldn't identify it.

Nothing came out of the darkness; in fact, there was no indication _anything _had stood behind the doorway. Hein began to slink forward, ears flicking around to pick up any sound. _"Do we go in?"_

In answer, the rustling came again, sounding as if it were only a few feet in front of them, yet Sid couldn't see it in the blackness, nor scent anything beyond that hospital smell and the unidentifiable odor. Something else did waft towards them, however; Sid's heart hammered in his chest at that wrongness once again assailed his senses.

Sid took the first step, with Hein right at his shoulder. It was wide enough for them to walk side to side, and dark enough that he couldn't even see the other wolf after the first few steps. He kept one ear flicked towards his companion, the other pricked to catch any sound from ahead.

Poe again popped into his mind, and Sid shivered at how appropriate the poem abruptly seemed. _Ominous bird, indeed, _he thought grimly, recalling the rustling sound. He hesitated, battling the powerful urge to turn around, to let this go. He wondered if Hein felt the same way, and almost asked. But he wouldn't show fear to the younger wolf; it would be an invitation for him to challenge Sid's Alpha status.

Squaring his shoulders, he continued forward, hearing Hein pad along at his side. If he was aware of Sid's hesitation, he didn't comment. Then again, maybe he _couldn't _say anything. Sid certainly had no desire to make a sound and draw the evil to him.

The temperature had been steadily dropping as they proceeded, and now he could feel his breath misting around his muzzle. There was frost underfoot, and his bones ached with the cold. He envied Hein's thick black fur as his body shivered uncontrollably.

The blue light snapped on so suddenly that Sid jumped. He could clearly see they were in a small room cluttered with equipment, including a computer that lined one wall… and what looked horribly like a bloodstained examination table with restraints resting against the opposite wall. With some surprise, Sid realized this was one of the quarantine chambers used to keep Phantom-related experiments away from the main lab, but there hadn't been a connecting tunnel leading to one from the main labs before. Dr. Carter was going to get hell for his unauthorized construction project… Before them was yet another thick metal door. A rhime of ice covered the metal, except where it had been chipped away from the edges to keep it from freezing completely shut. Hein stood frozen in mid-step, then turned to Sid. The sapphire glow gave his fur an eerie cast. _"Motion sensors," _Sid said. At least, he hoped that was it. He didn't want to think that something had been waiting for them.

Then he realized that Hein hadn't been looking at Sid, but behind him. _"This Dr. Carter… what does he study?" _Hein asked.

Sid turned, wondering just what had made the younger wolf raise his hackles. _"He's a genetic engineer, trying to breed plants that survive better under the barriers," _Sid said. He didn't see anything in this room that backed that up. _"He's quite brilliant… Oh, my…" _Their presence had also activated a holographic image that spun lazily in the air, a glowing blue form in the vague shape of a human being, as well as a column of glowing icons that made up the hologram's controls. _"I don't know why he'd be interested in human spirits," _Sid said, puzzled.

_It's probably nothing. We should leave, _Sid told himself sternly. But his curiosity was piqued, and as a scientist, he couldn't just leave until that curiosity was sated.

Besides, something about that vague outline disturbed him. It felt as if it were _looking _at him…

Sid attempted to rear back on his hind legs so he could activate the display, but his hips were having none of it, and he fell back onto his rump with a bone-jarring thud. Realizing what Sid had intended, Hein lifted into a bipedal stance, unaware of the slight changes in his body as it altered bone and muscle to support his weight. Sid envied him; his body refused to make the subtle shift. _"Let's see what this scientist is hiding," _the younger wolf said. Hein's clawed fingers activated the hologram's controls with no difficulty, and he turned to Sid. _"His computer doesn't seem to have a password," _Hein observed. _"What kind of fool is this Dr. Carter, anyway?"_

"_His lab wasn't locked tonight, either. And I suspect this hologram shouldn't have been activated by our presence. Someone wants us to see something." _

"_Someone?"_Hein countered. He seemed about to pursue the matter when the hologram display began to change. A lurid orange Phantom spirit, one of the tall, humanoid warriors, appeared beside the human spirit, along with several windows filled with notes that disappeared too rapidly for Sid to read through. But he didn't need to; what followed made Dr. Carter's intentions all too clear. The Phantom spirit moved sideways, until it overlapped the human spirit. Rather than the Phantom spirit whipping out the human's, the two seemed to _merge_.

Hein swore softly. _"Doctor, tell me he's not doing what I think he's doing."_

Sid's blood seemed to freeze in his veins. He felt dizzy, lightheaded. He couldn't possibly have seen what he thought he'd just seen. _"He's… blending human and Phantom spirits? But that's not possible!"_

There was a hiss, and the huge metal door in front of them opened. A blast of cold air made Sid flatten his ears and cringe away, and even the thick-furred Hein shivered. _"'Step in to my parlor, said the spider to the fly,'" _Sid said, suppressing another shudder. _"Shall we continue?"_

"_We came this far," _Hein said grimly. He glanced back, then continued. _"I don't think we have a choice, anyway; the door locked behind us."_

They couldn't see anything through the mist generated by the extreme cold, but they could hear sounds from within: the same soft, distinctive rustling that had led them this far.

"_After you," _Hein said.

_Thanks, _Sid almost snarled. But he took the lead anyway. Hein was right; they didn't have a choice but to advance. And if the hologram was any indication of what Dr. Carter had been doing in secret, then whatever was stored in the freezer would have to be destroyed. Of this there was no question; the sense of evil that had pervaded the lab the past few days had grown stronger when the door opened.

The mist enveloped Sid as he passed through the doorway, Hein just behind him. He'd barely taken more than a few steps when his hindquarters suddenly slid out from under him, and he slipped sideways, into something hard, metal, and cold. _"Careful, the floor is icy!" _

Hein walked carefully over to him, digging his claws into the ice to keep from slipping. Sid was envious.

Then he realized what he had fallen against. It was another gurney, like the one seen in the previous room, but this one was occupied. A bloodless white hand hung over the edge, the stiff fingers almost brushing the top of Sid's head. He flattened his ears when he got a whiff of the body's scent: _This _was the source of the wrongness.

Was this the results Dr. Carter's unholy experiments? And, worse, had it been _alive _when Dr. Carter had done this to it? Sid had to fight back a wave of nausea as he pictured what must have happened: The doctor had fused the Phantom spirit with one of the body, and it had gone mad, fought loose of the restraints – hence the blood on the table in the other room – and then finding its way into the labs, destroying everything in its path before the Phantom spirit killed it… The scenario made far too much sense for Sid's liking.

And then he looked upward. Hovering above the body was an image of its spirit – a strange, twisted figure that wasn't human. If these things still had spirits, then… then they were still alive! It must be the cold; cold slowed Phantom infections, though it wasn't a method commonly used since it usually harmed the person infected. Sid guessed Dr. Carter was using a crude method of cryogenic freezing so he could study it before the infection inevitably consumed it. Sid didn't want to think about just _why _Dr. Carter would need this information. Sid examined the spirit more closely; there wasn't enough blue for it to be a full human spirit, nor was there enough for a Phantom spirit, either. They were in a precarious sort of balance.

"_We've seen enough; let's get out of here-" Sid_ began, then realized Hein was no longer beside him. While he'd been distracted, the younger wolf had wandered over to the other side of the gurney and shifted to his bipedal stance.

"_This… this is one of _my _men!" _Hein snarled furiously. _"His entire Deep Eyes squad died on a mission last week! Or so I was led to believe…" _He dropped to all fours with a thud, fur bristling and fangs gleaming as he advanced on Sid. _"One of _your _scientists did this to my soldiers!" _He growled threateningly, a deep rumble that made Sid instinctively go on the defensive. Despite the cold that threatened to freeze the blood in his veins, the fury at being wrongly accused by this lesser wolf combined with the adrenaline from the Halloween moon gave him the speed to dodge the younger wolf's blow.

"_I had nothing to do with this!" _Sid roared. _"This atrocity isn't science, it's madness! I would never have permitted such an experiment! You know that; think! Don't let your rage control you!" _Finally, Hein seemed to have grasped what it meant to be wolf, and he'd chosen the worst possible time. The cold made Sid's whole body ache, and he'd lost all feeling in his paws. But he was still able to dodge Hein's next lunge, and use the younger wolf's move to his own advantage. As Hein's neck passed him, Sid's head darted forward and took it in his jaws. His broken teeth and Hein's thick fur meant the other wolf wasn't hurt, but he wasn't immediately able to shake loose.

Hein attempted to thrash in Sid's grip, but the cold was telling on him, too, and he soon subsided. _"You can let me go," _the younger wolf finally said. _"You're right, I shouldn't have snapped at you. I'm-"_

Sid waited. This was a momentous occasion; General Hein was about to apologize to him. But the final word never came, and Sid released Hein's neck so he could urge the other to continue. He wouldn't miss this for the world… Then he realized the younger wolf was no longer paying any attention to him. _"Holy shit," _Hein said finally. _"He's _looking _at me!"_

The body on the table was sitting up, its strange red-orange eyes fastened on the two werewolves. It was _awake! _

"_Do you think he's friendly?"_ Sid asked rhetorically.

"_Let's not stay to find out," _Hein said, backing away. _"We know Dr. Carter's up to no good; I say tomorrow I send in several squads of soldiers to kill this things."_

Sid had to agree. Hein was the only one in any condition to fight, and he was creeping away, belly to the floor and tail between his legs. Sid followed, his eyes never leaving the experiment, which was stiffly getting to its feet. Sid wanted to berate the younger wolf's cowardice, but then the aura the abomination exuded washed over him. His whole body went numb, and this time it wasn't from the cold. _My God… It… It's like it's pure rage… And hate…_

Sid decided Hein had had the right idea in leaving, and began to inch away. He increased his speed, backing out of the freezer and back into the outer room. He yelped when his rump slammed into something solid, but it was just Hein. _"What are you doing?" _Sid snarled, turning to nip at the younger wolf's flank. _"Run, you dumbass!"_

"_Believe me, I would love to. But the door out still seems to be locked!" _

_Oh, shit… "We're going to have to fight it," _Sid said grimly. Hein's ears flattened; he knew that by "we" Sid had meant him. He suddenly wondered if Hein actually could fight. True, the other was a tactical genius, and as a wolf, he had phenomenal reflexes, but Sid had never seen the general actually fight. And his cowardly retreat from the freezer area didn't inspire a lot of confidence. _"Don't let its rage affect you; brace yourself against it, and trust your instincts. I'll see what I can do about this door." _He saw Hein shut his eyes and take a deep breath, then Sid turned his attention to the door's control panel. It shouldn't have locked behind them! Using the wall to brace himself, Sid carefully pulled himself into the bipedal stance. His hips groaned in protest, but for once, his body obeyed his commands.

The abomination came through the freezer door. A thin coat of ice clung to its blue face, and it moved in stiff, jerky strides. Sid turned his head just in time to see the younger wolf make his move. Hein sprang forward, landing with bone-shattering force on the rib-cage. As it fell backwards, he sank his jaws into the thing's throat and tore it out. Sid cringed at the younger wolf's violence, even though the half-frozen body produced no blood. He just hadn't expected the other's instincts to be quite so _vicious. _

Neither, apparently, had Hein. He straddled the body, strings of flesh dangling from his muzzle. _"Did I just do what I think I did?" _he asked in disbelief. _"I… I killed it!"_

"_No you didn't!" _Sid yelped, as the body under Hein began to twitch. _Oh, good… Dr. Carter has figured out how to make zombies… _Hein suddenly yelped as it slammed its arm into him with enough force to send Hein flying up and over the examination table. His body lay at a strange angle, and he was very still. The abomination started to walk towards him, but it ran into the table as if it hadn't even noticed it was there. The look on its face was almost puzzled as it backed away.

Frantically, Sid pounded on the panel, but numb paws were no use on equipment designed for nimble human fingers.

The unmistakable rustling noise was Sid's only warning, and he dropped to all fours a split second before the abomination's fingers raked the air where his head had been. The wind whistled with the speed of its passing.

Sid rolled between the abomination's legs, kicking out with his hind legs as soon as he was through. His paws hit the thing's knees, and it stumbled forward, its head smashing into the control panel with a crunching noise. The panel sparked, and the door slid open.

And still it didn't die. _Of course not; it's just a Phantom wearing a human body like a suit of clothes… Damaging the clothes has no effect on the one wearing them... _But it did seem momentarily disoriented; Sid used the opportunity to run towards Hein, who had finally gotten to his feet and was shaking his head, dazed. _"I shouldn't be alive…" _he said weakly. _"Something was broken…"_

"_We'll discuss this later," _Sid said. _"This thing won't die, either. C'mon, the door's open. We need to get out of here while it's still dazed… trap it behind a barrier, or something…" _They wasted no time in getting out, but once in the main lab, Sid slowed.

"_What are you doing?" _Hein snarled angrily. _"We need to get out of here-"_

"_Look at it!" _Sid said suddenly. The abomination had followed them out of the dark hallway into the main lab. But there was something wrong with it… its movements were becoming slow and even more jerky, despite the fact that its muscles had had more than enough time to thaw. _Thaw… "It's overheating!" _Sid cried. _"The cold was keeping the two spirits in balance, but with all the exertion, the thing's warming up, and the Phantom spirit is consuming the human spirit!"_

Hein needed no further explanation; he suddenly lunged forward, snapping at the thing's legs, then darting out of the way. He repeated the maneuver several times, each time dancing out of the abomination's reach with an ease Sid envied. With each counterattack, the creature moved slower and slower as Hein pushed it to exert itself further and heat up faster.

When it began to fall, Hein raced to Sid's side, and they watched as the body fell lifelessly to the floor. Sid took a tentative step forward, though he had no idea what he was going to do. The body still carried enough Phantom particles to infect a human, so it would have to be disposed of. And while Phantom infections had little affect on a werewolf spirit, Sid had no idea how they could dispose of it before it spread out of control. Surely Dr. Carter had kept some weapon in case of an emergency, in case this thing went out of control. They just had to find it before…

A blue shape appeared above the body, and Sid froze. He thought, at first, that maybe the human's spirit was fighting back, but then it stretched out translucent wings, and dipped its beak into the abomination's chest. It pulled out a writhing orange mass, tipped its head back, and let the Phantom infection slide down its gullet. Then it turned its eyeless blue face towards them.

"_Are you seeing this?" _Sid asked the thus far silent Hein. The younger wolf came up beside him, ears flattened and eyes glittering. It was all the answer he needed.

Sid cautiously stepped towards the bird. _"It was you… you brought us here, didn't you? You unlocked the lab… showed us where to go! Why?"_

"_Were you trying to get us killed?" _Hein snarled. Sid's skin prickled at the tone of the younger wolf's growl; for the first time, Hein's bloodlust had risen to the surface, and it was a formidable thing indeed…

"_A great evil was being done," _a voice whispered into their minds. Sid started; he hadn't expected the thing to be _female. "Had I not intervened, this would not have been discovered until it was too late. Many would have died."_

"_We would have figured it out-" Hein_ began, but Sid slapped his muzzle. The younger wolf growled, but restrained himself.

"_Would you have? What cause did you have to enter the lab? You had only a bad feeling to go on, nothing more." _Her mind-voice was slightly mocking as she continued, _"And since when, General, have you acted on a bad feeling? No; if you had not found this creature tonight, as wolf, you would have later become a cynical man and dismiss what you felt."_

She was perceptive, Sid thought as he watched this exchange. But… what was she? Why had she chosen to help them?

He hadn't realized he'd transmitted the question through his body language until the creature turned toward him. _"What am I? I am what you chose me to be this night, Doctor. 'Prophet,' 'thing of evil,' and an 'ominous bird of yore.'" _

_The Raven… "You… you've been reading my mind all evening, haven't you? What are you? Truly?"_

"_It is All Hallow's Eve, the night where the spirits of the dead are closest to those of the living. There are many who walk the earth now, thanks to the Phantoms." _Her form wavered, then stretched into a human shape. _"We are ghosts." _Her body became more defined, and soft, washed-out colors began to take the place of the blue glow. _"We are angry at what has been done to this world; both the physical and spiritual worlds are under attack by Phantoms." _Wavy black hair framed a delicate face that made Sid's breath catch in his throat. _"We all fight however we can," _she said. _"But there's so little we can do…" _

The woman suddenly began to fade. Sid couldn't help himself; he lunged forward, screaming, _"Nicole!" _But she'd vanished, leaving him alone in the dark with Hein at his back. He trembled, and wondered if he really could have seen what he'd thought he'd seen. It wasn't just the vision of the woman he'd loved but known only briefly that had shaken him, but the image of the bird devouring the Phantom's spirit, and her words. _Both the physical and spiritual worlds are under attack by Phantoms… _What if that was why they were making so little headway against the alien invaders? What if it was because the aliens were attacking them on two fronts, instead of one? Were they assaulting Gaia itself?

He turned to Hein to ask what the other thought of what they'd just seen, but the younger wolf's strange expression halted the words. _"Doctor," _Hein said slowly, _"how do you know my mother?" _The red glint in the depths of his eyes seemed to burn, and Sid shuddered in spite of himself. Here was another problem he'd have to deal with. So far, Hein had managed to control his bloodlust, but it was there, beneath the surface, waiting… Sid fervently hoped it was the holiday affecting the younger wolf as it had affected Sid himself, but somehow, he doubted it.

"_Let's get out of here," _Sid said quietly. _"It's almost dawn, and I have much to think about." _He could still feel the younger wolf's eyes on him as he trotted towards the lab's exit. Hein made no move to follow, but Sid didn't feel safe until he had reached his apartment.

The End

Strange, I know. But I had to post this fic; it sows the seeds for several plotlines to come in the future… In case you haven't guessed, the _Misadventures_ are going to be very AU when I'm done with them. Stay tuned for the next in the series of _The_ _Misadventures of Dr. Sid, Aging Werewolf, _"Them Newfangled Contraptions." This one goes back to the lighter tone of the series, but don't be surprised if the stories start to get a little dark…


	5. Them Newfangled Contraptions

**Summary: **Another pointless 'misadventure.' This one involves giant rats.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters involved. We all know this; why make the fact more painful than it already is by suing?

Author's Note: Once again, this isn't a very well-written story, but I'm still suffering from writer's block, and I'm hoping that getting _something _online will get the creative juices flowing. Heh... This truly is becoming a series. This is, what, the fifth story? And I have a list of about a dozen different ideas, some funny-ish, some serious. I know these fics aren't popular or anything, but I started them with a goal in mind: to write an actual TSW series. "Out of the Ashes" helped me meet my goal of writing a long epic fic, and now it's time to prove to myself that I can reach another writer's milestone. Originally, this series was meant to be a web-comic, which is why so many werebeasts appear in this series – I can't draw people, but I can do animals okay. grins And this fic also drove home just how difficult it would be to design a safe barrier city; how the hell would they keep the Phantoms from coming up under the city!

_**Them Newfangled Contraptions**_

_The Misadventures of Dr. Sid, Aging Werewolf_

He was a hero to his family. He had faced off with a vicious dog and come out victorious. Admittedly, he had failed to mention that the dog in question had been all skin and bones and had no teeth to speak of, but it had intended to kill him. His mate and sixteen children, not to mention the other rats that made up their colony, now all treated him with new respect.

Of course, they'd refused to come near him until he'd cleaned sticky coating of saliva from his fur. It stank of death and power and ancient magic, an odd combination for a vermin human's best friend. The most ancient of rats, a staggering five years old, had squeaked dire warnings when she'd smelled the spittle. The other rats ignored the senile, grey-furred ancient and listened attentively as he had regaled them with his tale of life and death struggle. He exaggerated a bit, of course; the small cut he'd received from one of the beast's broken teeth, a scratch he barely felt, became a painful war wound, and his mate chittered sympathetically.

It was only later that the wound began to throb, and the rat began to wonder if he'd been hurt worse than he'd thought. The rat couldn't understand. It was just a small scrape! He hadn't even been going through garbage; the only thing that could have gotten into the wound was a little of the dog's saliva!

And then the next night came. His whole body began to ache. And then, he began to _change..._

XXX

Entering General Hein's office hadn't been fun in the best of times; now that the other had become a werewolf, it had become damned uncomfortable. Dr. Sid entered cautiously, his body tense. He was all too aware that he'd entered another's territory, and his lupine senses screamed at him to leave before the other defended his territory. Dr. Sid's human side won out, though the fact that it was the day preceding the last full moon of the month made quelling his inner beast difficult.

The general was seated at his desk when Dr. Sid entered, but he rose to his feet immediately, an instinctive gesture. He didn't want to be beneath the other wolf, where he would seem submissive in his own den. Sid's lips twitched in amusement; he wondered if Hein had any idea why he'd responded the way he had.

Then again, Hein had _always _had a superiority complex. Now he just had a reason for it.

"Have a seat, Doctor," Hein said with a cordialness that didn't quite veil his contempt.

Dr. Sid nearly resisted; he didn't want to be beneath the other, either, but his old bones demanded rest, so he settled himself on the leather chair in front of Hein's desk with a theatrical sigh. "I'm surprised you asked to see me," Dr. Sid said, ignoring the general's posturing. He wasn't interested in the younger wolf's attempts at dominance; after all, he'd had to put up with it even when Hein was human. "Why didn't you just corner me in my lab, like you usually do?"

Hein's lips curled, which was almost a baring of teeth. "Believe me, I would have sent this with Major Elliot if I could, but he seems to be indisposed whenever I need him most."

"That's because he's dating Dr. Ross," Dr. Sid said, enjoying the look of horror that crossed the general's face. "Believe me, I've tried breaking them up, but... they just keep getting back together." He shrugged. "So long as they confine their amorous liaisons to your office, I can live with it."

Hein's jaw dropped, and Dr. Sid almost laughed. It seemed to diffuse the other's tension, and the general finally sat back down across from him. "Dating? Liaisons? In _here? _That would explain..." He shook his head, and the horrified expression was replaced by bemusement. "Tell Dr. Ross that Major Elliot used to be a woman."

Dr. Sid gave a snort of laughter, until he saw that Hein's expression was dead serious. _Oh, my... _The more he learned about the soldiers in the USMF, the more frightened he became. "Ahem... yes... anyway, why did you call me here?" He was getting horrifying images in his head, and he really, really wanted to get rid of them.

Hein frowned, clearly despising the fact that Dr. Sid was taking control. But he selected a clear disk from his drawer, and inserted into the slot of his desk computer. The holographic screen appeared, hovering half a foot above his desk, and a few swipes with his right hand brought up a blueprint of the barrier city. "I received a message this morning from the Barrier Control Center. It seems there have been a series of unusual events involving the barrier. Here, here, and here," Hein said, lighting up several points on the barrier city blueprint. They were all in the city's deeper levels, where humans seldom went.

Dr. Sid frowned. "'Unusual events?'" he repeated. "Like what?"

"The proximity alarms you designed keep going off. But whenever they send a team to investigate, there's nothing there."

Dr. Sid scoffed. "Vermin, probably," he said, though that couldn't be right. The city's underbelly was teeming with rats and the like; the alarms were programmed not to respond to anything that small, or they'd be going off all the time. "One of the alarms may have glitched and is picking up anything that moves." He bristled at Hein's implication that _his _inventions were the problem; it wasn't his fault Hein couldn't understand them. It was almost akin to an old-timer's contempt of 'newfangled contraptions,' never mind the fact that Hein was younger than Dr. Sid.

"The technicians thought of that, of course," Hein explained. "They checked every alarm that's been tripped; there's nothing wrong with them, as far as they can tell." He hesitated. "There's a reason I called you here; I need you to go down there, tonight, to see what's going on."

"What! You know I can't do that!" Dr. Sid snarled. "It's the full moon – either send me now, or send someone else. He got to his feet, bones creaking in protest.

"You wouldn't be my first choice," Hein said scathingly, "but there'ssomething I've noticed." Hein tapped another icon, bringing up a calendar for the past three months, with several days marked with a glowing blue X. "The last two events were last night, and the night before. When I asked the technicians, they admitted that there had been several other such incidents, possibly more they weren't even aware of, all too small to bring to my notice. Those occurred... well, see for yourself."

Puzzled, Dr. Sid watched as Hein pulled up calendars for the previous two months. A few days out of both months were marked with X's. The attacks had occurred three nights out of every month. Every one of them coincided with the full moon. "The timing, as you can see, is most peculiar." Hein noted. "That's why I want you go down there tonight. Find out if this is a strange coincidence... or if there's something else behind this." Dr. Sid was about to protest, but Hein didn't give him the chance. "I'll send a couple of soldiers with you." His eyes narrowed as he thought, then he grinned savagely. "I'll send Nei- Corporal Fleming with you, too. Having a technician with you can't hurt, in case the barrier alarms truly are just damaged. He has a knack for finding problems that others have missed."

"And how, exactly, are you going to explain to a bunch of soldiers that they're going to accompany a werewolf into the city's lower levels?" Dr. Sid challenged.

"Oh, Corporal Fleming knows what you are," Hein said breezily. "He'll tell the others that you're a dog who can be used to track a potential saboteur."

It was on the tip of Dr. Sid's tongue to ask just how Corporal Fleming knew, then he decided this was probably one of those things it was better not to know. "Why can't you go and be the dog? If there's trouble, you're more capable of dealing with it." It pained him to admit it, but it was the plain truth.

Hein was silent for a long moment. Then he said, almost too softly for even Dr. Sid's sensitive ears to hear, "It would hurt too much... I'd never make it down there... I... I'm not feeling too well," he added, a little louder.

Dr. Sid examined the other's face more carefully, noticing for the first time the sallow skin, the dark rings around Hein's sunken eyes, the slight tremor in his hand. _I've seen those symptoms before... but where? _If he could only smell the man, he could determine what his problem was, but Hein was wearing a rather large amount of cologne, and Sid couldn't get a good whiff of him.

"All right, I'll do it," Dr. Sid said at length, resolving to look into the other man's sickness later.

"I'll have Corporal Fleming pick you up this evening." Hein said, turning away. He turned back after a moment, though, and snarled at Dr. Sid, "What are you still doing here? You're dismissed!"

XXX

Sid had to admit, he was kinda looking forward to this new adventure tonight. He'd spent the last couple of full moons in his room, mostly to avoid the younger wolf, but he'd missed the action. Old bones or not, he was not a creature meant to be kept confined to a cage!

He paced impatiently, bones creaking with every motion. _Really, what does Hein expect me to do with a body this battered? Anyone down there could hear me from a mile away. _He sat with a _whumpf, _and examined his split and broken claws. _Then there're my weapons... I'm worthless without my blender. What is Hein thinking!_

There was a knock on his door, which abruptly opened with a _whoosh. _Sid growled in irritation; while he couldn't actually answer the door, wouldn't the polite thing to do be to wait a few moments before overriding the lock and coming in uninvited?

"Wow, you really are pitiful-looking, aren't you?" Neil Fleming asked, gazing down at Sid. Sid glowered, but refrained from baring his remaining teeth at the tech. He didn't want to give the corporal any more reason to think him pathetic... Instead, he got to his feet and began to stroll past Neil, but was halted when the tech grabbed him by the scruff of his neck.

"Oh, no," Neil said cheerfully. "I can't let you just wander around on your own; it would look odd." He ignored Sid's baleful glare as he leaned over, pulling a strap of black leather from seemingly nowhere. "General's orders," he added apologetically as he buckled the collar around Sid's thin neck. A collar? Hein wanted him to wear a _collar?_ That wasn't the last of the humiliation, however; there was a leash that went with it. _Kill him... I am going to kill Hein!_

Despite the violence of his thoughts, Sid followed Neil willingly enough. There wasn't any point in mauling the corporal, after all; he was wearing his Deep Eyes armor. And, Sid noticed with some relief, he was armed with at least one handgun that fired bullets. _Hein suspects this is something more than a couple of malfunctioning alarms, then. The timing really is rather odd...What if it's something from Dr. Carter's labs? He's been on his best behavior since we trashed his last experiments, but I wouldn't put it past him to have something up his sleeve..._

Neil led him towards the soldier's barracks, presumably to pick up the rest of their team. His tattered ears flicked back and forth as he picked up the sounds of the occupants' various activities; at one point, he heard a high, feminine scream through the wall nearest him, and Sid halted, wondering if he was hearing a murder. Then, mixed with the cries, he made out a woman's voice – _Corporal Proudfoot, maybe? _- saying, "It's just a spider. Honestly, Gray, is there anything in the animal kingdom you _aren't _afraid of?"

They didn't actually see any of these soldiers until Neil jerked the leash, forcing Sid to halt. "Hey, Ryan," Neil said, as the tall sergeant blocked his way. "Erm, is there a problem?"

"I'm getting tired of covering for you," Ryan said, his gaze flicking to Sid. His face was puzzled, but there was another expression there as well that Sid couldn't place. "I'm running out of excuses for your disappearances. Jane is starting to suspect something."

"Hey, this is a special favor to General Hein!" Neil said.

"You've been doing him a lot of 'special favors' lately," Ryan said heavily. "Someone's going to notice if you keep this up."

Neil pointed to Sid, who had sat down to watch the exchange. His tongue lolled to further the impression that he was just a harmless old dog. "This is an _official _favor, with the 307s," Neil said pointedly. "A mission. D'you think I'd have the dog otherwise?" From the arch of Ryan's brow, Sid had no doubt of just what the sergeant _had _been thinking. "Or my armor, for that matter? Besides, I know you'll do a good job covering for me; that's the deal, right? You cover for my... 'special favors,' and I don't tell anyone you write romance novels based on the real-life exploits of other soldiers."

The sergeant just folded his arms across his chest and grunted. "I'm starting to think you got the better end of the bargain."

Neil just grinned and pushed his way past the sergeant. Sid gave him a curious look as they passed – he wondered if Ryan had written any of that smut Aki kept leaving in the laboratory. Ryan just sighed and shook his head before he went back into his room.

Finally, beside one of the maintenance hatches that led to the city's underbelly, they met three other soldiers, all of them fully armored. Unlike Neil, who simply wore one of the light Coronet headsets in case of Phantom excursion, the 307s wore the full helmets, making them seem like featureless clones. Sid immediately dubbed them Random Deep Eyes Soldiers numbers One, Two, and Three.

"What the hell is that thing?" Three asked, pointing at Sid. What few hackles he had left rose, and he bit back a growl.

"He's a police dog the general got on loan," Neil said. He lowered his voice. "He's just three days from retirement, though, so we have to be very careful with him. He's likely to keel over dead at any time."

Sid just glowered. Soldier Number One just shrugged and said, "Let's just get this over with." His tone made it clear he thought this whole expedition was a waste of time, and privately, Sid agreed. Four armored soldiers to take on what was likely an equipment malfunction did seem like overkill... Unless the malfunction was more severe than Hein had said, and there'd been an actual barrier breech. But if that had been the case, he would have heard of it.

Neil took the lead, jerking on the leash when Sid was too absorbed in his thoughts to follow. With a long-suffering sigh, Sid trotted after Neil, who paused only long enough to swipe a security card through the maintenance hatch lock. The hatch slid open, and a whiff of stale air made Sid halt in surprise. He'd never entered the undercity as a wolf before, and the scents in that musty air were almost overwhelming. It was an entire world of exciting new smells, and the odors of decay and corruption that tempted his nostrils seemed to enervate him. He picked up his pace, his tail wagging in delight.

"I hope you know where you're going, Fleming," Two said, after they'd been walking for about ten minutes down the well-worn pathways. "As I recall, the last time you led a squad of soldiers somewhere, you got everyone walking in circles."

"Hey, I'd never been to Atlanta, okay?" Neil said defensively.

"There were _signs _pointing to the Council chamber. How the hell can you get lost when there are signs?" Two snorted.

"Which no one even bothered to point out." Neil sounded disgusted.

"Well... everyone thought it was funny as hell that you didn't realize it, and no one wanted to ruin the moment."

"Wait... He's gotten people lost? That's not funny, man... My horoscope said bad things were going to happen today! OhGodohGodohGod..." This was Random Deep Eyes Soldier Three, and Sid could smell the soldier's panic. _Oh, good... this is someone I want at my back in a dangerous situation. _

"Relax," Neil said, holding up his hand to show them the computer he wore on his wrist. "This is guiding us, not my own sense of direction. And if we did get lost, well, what do you think we have the dog for?" He jerked Sid's leash, earning a nasty look from the werewolf.

"Will you all just shut up before I do something you'll all regret?" One said, his fingers lightly brushing the hilt of his knife in emphasis. "_No one _is getting lost." Sid couldn't see the man's expression behind his blank mask, but something about him made the other soldiers obey meekly.

For the next quarter of an hour, the group walked onwards, with only the creak of armor, the _bleep _of Neil's wrist computer, and the ever-present hum of the barrier to break the silence.

The underbelly of the city was a bizarre landscape of catwalks, girders, and massive load-bearing pillars suspended over the broad expanse of barrier that was the city's first line of defense against a foe that could rise up through solid earth. Figuring out a way to defend the ground had been a nightmare; burying the barrier made repairs impossible. Were a part to fail, Phantoms would stream in through the gap in the defenses before the broken section could be dug up. The only option was an exposed stretch of barrier underlying the city itself, with catwalks that could be rotated so maintenance workers could repair any broken pieces of the barrier's surface. It was a designer's nightmare, and the fact that the city showed no sign of collapsing into the hollow cavity beneath it was testament to the abilities of said designers.

It was also an ideal haven for rats, Sid realized, nose wrinkling as a particularly strong scent came to him. _Maybe it's not a glitch, after all. Maybe there are whole packs of rats traveling around down here, and _that's_ what the sensors are picking up. _It was possible; though it didn't explain the coincidence of it only happening on the full moon.

"The first sensor is right over here," Neil said, gesturing to a slim black box fastened to a support pole. "Do you mind getting the next one while I look this one over?" he asked the soldiers. "It's the next one over; down that way." He pointed, and all three soldiers set off after it. Neil blinked. "I didn't mean for all three of them to go," he told Sid wryly. "I'm sure there's a joke in this somewhere: How many Deep Eyes does it take to unscrew a sensor? Still, I'm glad they all went; I don't want to be stuck with them, anyway." Sid just flopped down, sighing. _Some adventure this is turning out to be... Surly soldiers, bad jokes... I can't even help with the repairs, not with these paws. _He examined his stubby toes with disgust. _Why did you send me down here, General? _he seethed. _Barrier problem, only on the full moon... _He wanted to smack himself for falling for such an obvious trick. _That idiot just wanted to get me out of the way while he does something he knows I'd disapprove of. Damned pup, challenging my Alpha status like this... _Sid's lips curled in a snarl.

Well, there wasn't anything he could do about it now. He watched Neil pry loose the sensor's panel and examine the wiring, but quickly grew bored of that. He glanced around, desperate to find something interesting. To his right was the vertical barrier wall, nearly close enough to touch. All the sensors that had been tripped were located along this wall, as if something had been trying to look outside, beyond the barrier.

To his left was the vast cavern of the city's sublevel; the lurid orange glow made it look almost like a volcanic crater, with the catwalks resembling the decaying rope bridges that so often spanned them in old films.

"I don't see anything wrong with this one," Neil said, after a moment. He bent down and offered it to Sid. "What do you think? See anything I might have missed?"

Sid thrust his muzzle forward, poking at the wires, trying to scent anything unusual or wrong. But the corporal was right; the sensor looked fine. _I'm not surprised. This just confirms that Hein was trying to get rid of us this whole time._

He shook his head, and Neil frowned. Sid sank back onto his belly as Neil reconnected the sensor to its stand. He flicked his ears slightly as he heard the approach of the other soldiers, but it didn't hold his interest. He yawned and rested his head on his paws as the three Deep Eyes arrived and handed Neil the second sensor. Tuning them out, he began to rack his mind for any hint, any clue to what Hein could be doing that would cause him to send Sid away. Could he be intending to kill someone? Destroy something?

Or... could it have something to do with Hein's illness? No; that had to be feigned. Probably the best excuse he could come up with for not coming down here himself.

_Tickticktick... _Sid blinked. The sound had been at the edge of his awareness for several moments, and he'd dismissed it as noises made by the soldiers. But now that he was concentrating on it, it almost sounded like the sound was coming from... beneath them?

Sid lurched to his feet and peered over the catwalk's edge. There was nothing down there but the barrier; the glow made it difficult to make out any shapes, but there didn't seem to be anything.

Neil gave the leash a yank, and Sid followed the group to the next sensor's setting. "This one seems to be okay, too," he said, frowning.

_Ticktickticktick..._ Sid's head whipped back, but he didn't see anything behind them. A quick peak over the catwalk's edge revealed nothing below. Yet... it sounded like something was _following _them.

With a twitch of his fingers, Neil activated the wrist computer. "I'm going to test the sensors," he explained when he saw Sid's curious look.

"Um, why are you telling this to a dog?" Three asked.

"Because he's obviously the most intelligent one here – besides me, of course," Neil said stiffly. Sid suddenly wondered what the history was between Neil and these three.

Scratch that. Considering some of the things Sid had found out just this day alone, he _didn't _want to know what had gone on with them.

Neil's wrist computer _bleep_ed as interfaced with the sensor; seconds later, an image appeared with six pulsing dots that represented every living thing within the scanner's range big enough to be detected. "It seems to be working fine," Neil said, frowning. He shut down the interface.

_Tickticktickticktick... _There was no mistaking it, this time. The sound was similar to that Sid's claws made on metal, but there was nothing nearby except the soldiers. No, it had to be his imagination...

And then he realized that he, Neil, and the three soldiers made a grand total of five; yet the scanner had picked up _six _large living creatures. Sid leaned over the edge of the catwalk again, but this time he didn't look straight down. He turned his gaze towards the bridge's underside, his eyes straining to make out anything among the catwalk's support structure.

"What are you looking at?" Neil's voice said from somewhere above them. Sid turned to look at the tech, forgetting for the moment that he wouldn't be able to answer... then he caught a flash of movement... a glint of yellow eyes... an impression of great size... a fleeting glimpse of gleaming teeth and claws... and then the screaming began.

Sid jerked his head back up in time to see a dark blur slam into Three, who shrieked at the top of his lungs. Number One pulled his gun and aimed, but he couldn't get a clear shot at the creature without hitting his squad mate. The way his finger twitched on the trigger, however, suggested that was no bad thing...

Sid lunged forward, intending to attack this new threat, but yipped when he was jerked back when he reached the limit of the leash. Neil was too busy reaching for his gun to realize his other hand still clung tightly to the end of the leash, and Sid growled at him in desperation.

There was a gunshot, and the whatever-it-was rolled off Three and over the edge of the catwalk.

"Are you okay?" Two asked, helping his team mate up.

"No, man! This is exactly what my horoscope said would happen!" he shrieked.

"That you'd be attacked by a giant rat?" Neil asked blankly.

"He's fine," One said, giving Three a quick look-over. "His armor protected him."

_A rat? _As soon as Sid thought it, he knew Neil was right. The smell of rat hung heavily in the air... and it was a _familiar _odor.

"What the hell was that?" Two asked.

"A giant rat," Neil repeated.

"How the hell can there be a giant rat down here?" One demanded.

"I don't know! But I think that's what's been setting off the sensors; and no one's seen it because it's been traveling around by clinging to the catwalk's underside." Neil sighed. "It hasn't done any harm so far, but I think we're going to have to hunt it down and kill it."

"No harm? No harm! It attacked me! I need to get to the infirmary before I get rabies or something." Three's voice was shrill. "I'm not going to be able to go after that thing. You go on without me."

One pointed at Two. "Take him back to the infirmary. Fleming and I will hunt this thing down." He turned towards Neil. "That... thing you have on the leash can track things down, right?"

Offended, Sid flattened his ears. Then, with a haughty sniff, he set off at a stiff-legged trot. He could smell the odor of the giant rat all around them, confusing him, but he figured it would eventually show itself again. Whatever it was... The smell was familiar; similar to that of the rat he'd failed to kill on his first night out in years. What if... what if he had managed to injure it, after all? He'd seen evidence that some animals _could_, in fact, be infected with lycanthropy, but it was a rare occurrence.

_Great... a wererat. No; that's not right. 'Were' means 'man,' and this thing was never a man. Well, whatever the hell you call it, I need to dispose of it before it manages to make more of its kind. _If it had bitten any more of its kind, there could be a whole army of rats. _We could already be too late._

His ears picked up a sound, the distinctive _tickticktick _from before. Sid whined, and Neil and the Deep Eyes soldier immediately went on the alert. This time, however, Neil unclipped the leash from Sid's collar, giving him free rein. "Where is it?" Neil murmured.

Sid pointed his muzzle towards a point on the catwalk just behind them.

The two soldiers held their guns at the ready as they waited for the creature to erupt over the edge as it had before. Sid waited with them, not sure what good he would be against the creature but ready to help anyway. They waited... and waited...

And then Sid's ears picked up the sound of breathing from somewhere behind him. He turned slowly, coming face to face with a narrow, pointed face and gleaming rodent teeth. But it wasn't fully rat; there was something of the wolf in its size, its yellow eyes, the shape of its head, and the long legs that held its body high off the catwalk. Its long, skinny tail scraped the metal as it crouched down in preparation for a leap.

Sid barely managed to yip before the monster rat sprang, its wolf legs giving it enough power to leap over Sid and on to Neil. The corporal had been in mid-turn, and he threw up his hands in a futile effort to ward off the rat's attack. The rat hit, and they fell backwards, hitting the catwalk and rolling almost to the edge.

Sid lunged, slamming his head into the rat's ribcage before it could sink its teeth into Neil's unarmored throat, though the scent of blood in his nostrils made him fear he was too late.

The rat turned its attack to Sid, and he howled in agony as its claws sank into Sid's shoulder. But Sid used the strike to his advantage, moving his head under the creature's leg to get a grip on the tender skin where the leg met the body. He may have had almost no teeth, but what he had was enough to maintain his grip. He was rather pleased his jaw muscles hadn't atrophied along with the rest of his body.

The rat's teeth snapped at Sid's spine, and he could feel blood running down his sides. But he refused to let go; he just had to keep a hold of it until either Neil or the soldier got a clear shot.

And then there was a yank on his neck, and suddenly he couldn't breath. The rat had caught hold of the collar and was savagely yanking at it, crushing Sid's windpipe in the process. Sid was forced to release his grip in a desperate effort to catch his breath.

Then the rat's grip momentarily slackened, and a moment later Sid heard the crack of the gunshot. It began to fall away, and Sid thought it was all over... until he realized the rat's teeth hadn't released the collar... and that they had come so close to the catwalk's edge that the rat was going over the edge... and Sid was falling with it...

XXX

Something had broken in the fall. His left front leg was pinned under him, bent at an angle that wasn't possible for either man or wolf. He groaned, a painful action when pushed past his bruised windpipe. He cracked one eye open, shutting it immediately as the amber glow of the barrier overloaded his optic never. Where was he? Why was he so close to the barrier? Why did he _hurt?_

Sid opened his eyes again, this time prepared for the sensory overload. Through the glare, he could make out the dark lines of the catwalks spanning the open space above. So far above... _That's right... I fell off. No, not fell; that rat pulled me off. _Sid raised his head, searching for his attacker. There... a dark mound off to his right. It wasn't moving, and Sid pushed himself to his feet and hobbled over to make certain it was dead. It didn't take long to confirm it; there was a bullet hole directly between its eyes, and no werecreature could survive a gunshot to the brain, silver bullet or no.

That solved one problem, but left him with a brand new one. He was directly atop the ground-lying barrier; he could feel it against the skin, a prickling sensation that his sturdy werewolf body handled with ease. But when he turned human... well, no living thing except a shifted werewolf could survive the bio-etheric energy. And through his ties to the moon, he could sense that dawn wasn't far away.

The catwalks were too far above him to grab onto and pull himself up, even if he didn't have a bad leg. There were controls to move them and lower them for when the maintenance crews had to do repairs, but all the controls were on the catwalks.

_So this is it, then. _He couldn't think of any way out of this. His talents as a werewolf were useless, and once he turned human, he was dead. _Killed by one of my own barriers. _It was a cruel bit of irony; he'd made it to protect humankind. _And they didn't even stay to help me! _That was perhaps the worst of it. He'd fought to save Neil, and the tech had left him. Angrily, he threw back his head and howled, never mind that his throat was in agony from the act. He didn't stop, not even when his cries echoed back until they drowned out the hum of the barrier, the pounding of his heart, the roar of his blood... all he could hear was his own anger and sadness.

And then he heard another howl, one he'd thought at first was an echo. But his sensitive ears were able to pick out subtle differences, enough for any wolf to recognize as belonging to a certain individual once he'd learned the distinctive cry, for it was as unique as any human fingerprint.

This was followed by silence; and then there was the sound of running, two sets of feet, one human in a pair of armored boots, the other four-footed. Sid howled again, and then a dark head peered over the edge of the closest catwalk. _"Well, this is a fine mess you've gotten yourself in to," _Hein observed, bearing his teeth in a malicious grin. But then he examined Sid more closely. _"You look like hell! Are you all right?"_

"_Only if you get me out of here before I transform," _Sid said hoarsely.

"_Hang on. Neil's going to lower the catwalk. Don't move; I'll come out there and get you."_

Sid wanted to snap that he didn't need the younger wolf's help, but his body said otherwise. Now that the adrenaline rush was fading, he felt on the verge of collapse.

Moments later, there was a whir of machinery, and then the catwalk was only a few feet above him. Hein jumped down, landing awkwardly. Sid thought at first that the footing had thrown him off, but then the other wolf began to limp towards him.

Sid leaned himself against Hein, and together they walked towards the catwalk's edge. Sid reared up, and Neil helped pull him up, then turned to help Hein. "Sorry for leaving you like that, Doc," Neil said apologetically. "I was knocked unconscious when my head hit the ground, and Martin took me up to the infirmary rather than trying to help you. He'd assumed that you would have died when you came into contact with the bio-etheric conduits down there. I did, too, actually, until the general insisted we come down here to get you."

Sid turned towards the younger wolf with surprise. _"It was your idea to save me?"_

Hein shrugged. _"I may not like you, Doctor, but I wasn't going to just let you die."_

"You need medical attention, Doc," Neil said, eying the gouges across Sid's shoulders with sympathy. "I'll assist you however I can, but I hope you can walk back. Er, I brought some clothes for you, since it's almost dawn." He pointed to a duffel bag he'd set on the floor by his feet.

"_We'll stay here until we change," _Sid said. _"I'll probably manage better on two human legs, since one of my front ones seems to be broken." _

Though Neil couldn't understand them, he seemed to realize they'd chosen to wait. He used the time to reset the catwalk back at its original position, and by the time he'd finished, Dr. Sid and General Hein were human again, and trying very hard not to accidentally see each other as they got dressed in the very open space.

It gave Dr. Sid's healing factor the opportunity to take the edge off his pain, and it also enabled him to see something else. Hein hadn't pulled on his black leather gloves yet, and for the first time, he saw the swelling on Hein's hand. "What is that?" he asked. Hein tried to jerk his hand away, but Dr. Sid caught it and pulled it close.

He examined the other man's hand, frowning at what he saw. The fingers and knuckles of Hein's left hand were grotesquely swollen, and strangely discolored. His eyes narrowed as he spotted a dark band of metal embedded in the flesh. _A ring... Probably his wedding band, judging from the location. _Dr. Sid could make out a band of gold, intertwined with a band of _silver. _"It's silver poisoning," Dr. Sid said grimly. "This is going to have to come off."

"No," Hein said sharply, yanking his hand away with a wince. "I swore to myself I'd never take this ring off.

"I wasn't talking about the ring," Dr. Sid said, and Hein's eyes widened with realization. He clutched his hand tightly to his chest and backed away. "Look, you have to get it done. The poison already killed off your finger, and if you don't remove that ring, it'll spread. In a few months, it could be your _hand _that needs to be amputated."

Hein's face adapted a curiously blank look, and he seemed in a daze as Dr. Sid staggered towards the service lift. Neil straggled behind, a worried expression on his face. All of them were so preoccupied with Hein that Sid never even noticed the bandaged rat bite on Neil's hand...

The End

Stay tuned for the next 'Misadventure,' the first side-story of the series, called "Rise of the Rat King." Oi... does anybody have a good idea of what I could do with Ryan? Better yet, does anyone want to _write _it? I'm just not getting any ideas here...


	6. Rise of the Rat King

**Summary: **In this first 'Misadventure' side story, Neil deals with his new curse, and finds some rather interesting applications for it.

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Square. Though if Square were to give them to me, I wouldn't protest. I'd even share them with others.

Author's Note: Yay! 'Misadventure' number six. Does this officially make it a series now? This one is all about Neil. Here's hoping it came out okay… This one's written kinda weird, in my opinion. I'm not sure what the deal is. But at least it's done, and it sets things up for future stories. From here on out, these fics aren't going to be strictly Sid-centric. Oh, and blame the FFVI reference on Ovo… I wish I knew more lyrics to that song than what I found in the strategy guide.

_**Rise of the Rat King**_

_The Misadventures of Dr. Sid, Aging Werewolf_

It was called the 'Rat's Nest' by those who knew where it was; an electronic database buried deep within the USMF mainframe that was a collection of information arranged in haphazard files and written in code that only military techs knew and few hackers had the talent to break. In the early twenty-first century, it would have been a treasure trove for any enemy nations that stumbled across the wealth of information it contained. Its original intention was as a time capsule of sorts; if New York were to fall, all data from the city could be retrieved and put to use.

It was also a hell of a way to spy on fellow soldiers. Neil navigated the organized chaos with ease, his electronic avatar poking its nose into new files and absorbing information for later perusal. Most of it was junk – credit card purchases, duty rosters and whatnot – but some of it was interesting; who would have thought, for example, that Captain Edwards and Major Elliot both shopped at Victoria's Secret?

But it was a disappointing run, all in all. Oh, Neil had some interesting information to sell Ryan for use in his romance novels, and General Hein would have to be told about the soldier who had 'borrowed' a Copperhead to give his girlfriend a joyride, but nothing else really interesting. Which was bizarre when one lived in a world with aliens, giant rats, and werewolves.

Sighing, Neil disconnected from the database, then pulled off the headpiece that allowed him to link with the computer. _Such is the life of an information broker, _he thought, taking a sip of his coffee. This job had been much more fun before General Hein had decided to use his talents. Without the danger of being discovered, there was just no thrill.

Neil leaned back in his chair, swinging his feet up onto his desk. Really, he shouldn't be doing this at all; it was what had nearly gotten him court-martialed from the military when he was stationed in San Francisco. Even though he'd managed to keep his place in the military, they'd sent him across the country so they wouldn't have to deal with him again. Which had, admittedly, been a good thing, since San Francisco had fallen a few weeks later. He couldn't resist it, though… he'd grown up in a military family where classified information such as the cause of his father's death was never revealed, and ever since, he'd wanted information. Craved it. He _despised _not knowing things, when there was a chance something important to him was being kept from him.

Admittedly, it was possible to know too much. Did he really need to know that Captain Edwards had bought a pink thong? There was an image that was going to haunt him.

Neil leaned back until his head was almost upside-down over the low back of the chair. He supposed he should sort through the data he'd downloaded for Ryan's use and then go to bed; the moon was full tonight, meaning General Hein was going to be preoccupied, and Neil was off duty…

_Waitaminnit.. _Neil blinked, wondering if all the blood rushing to his head was making him see things. Because it looked for all the world like three sets of beady, glittering eyes were staring at him from atop his bed.

He spun the chair around and faced the three large rats that were sitting on his sheets, their unsanitary little paws leaving dirty spots on the white linen. He resolved to burn those sheets, even though he'd get a lot of flak when he requisitioned more. "Get out of here!" he said, waving his hand at them. "Shoo!" He thought about pulling his pistol out of the drawer and shooting them, but the last time someone had fired their gun without authorization, they'd been on latrine duty for a month.

"_It him! You smell?" _one of the rats squeaked.

Neil blinked. "Did… did you just say something?"

"_He not look like much. He have no fur!"_

"_He will! Old One say so!"_

Neil decided he'd been working too hard lately. There was no way this could possibly be happening. In a way, it was kind of fun. Who hadn't ever wanted to talk to animals when they were children?

"_He smell like my mate did." _One of them shuffled closer and rubbed its head on his fingertips.

Okay. Now it was getting bizarre. "That's it; I'm going to the infirmary and getting some drugs." The rat licked his fingers. "Lots and lots of drugs. Because this can't possibly… be…" He trailed off as it dawned on him just where the rat had licked: the puckered skin of the healed scar on his hand, where he'd been bitten by a rat. A giant rat that had been infected with lycanthropy…

"Get!" Neil yowled, smacking the sheets with the flat of his hand. The rats scattered, but not before the one who'd licked him gave him a _look_. Oh, good… she had a crush on him.

But a rat's misplaced affections were the least of his concerns right now. They'd spoken to him – _spoken _to him! – and he'd understood. He rubbed the scar, scowling. _Great… that's just great. So I _have _been infected. _He'd been avoiding Dr. Sid since the incident last month, afraid the old man would know, would make him face the truth. _Dammit. _There was something romantic about wolves, with their savage beauty and strength. Neil wouldn't mind turning into a wolf. But… a rat?

He examined his hand closely, half expecting to see stubby toes and claws. But darkness hadn't fallen yet; he still had an hour before he'd know for sure. _No wonder Hein gave me the night off – he suspected this, and he just wanted to be sure. Bastard! He didn't even have the courage to tell me!_

So what was he going to do now? Should he find Dr. Sid, question him so he'd know what to expect? _Hey, Doc, I'm going to turn into a giant rat tonight and I've already been visited by one who has a crush on me. Got any advice?_

No; he'd have to figure this out on his own. It couldn't be that bad, right? Dr. Sid handled it fine, and General Hein… well… He hadn't _killed _anyone in an animalistic rage. So maybe Neil would turn out just fine. Maybe he wouldn't turn into a giant, bloodthirsty pest like the one that had bitten him.

Neil crossed the room to his bed and threw himself backwards on it. There was nothing he could do now, except wait.

Well, that and clean off the nasty little surprise one of the rats had left on his pillow.

XXX

He didn't know he'd fallen asleep until something scratched at his cheek. Neil grumbled and rolled to his side, but then something licked his lips and he snapped into wakefulness. The female rat from earlier was back. _"Wake up," _she chittered. _"It time."_

"Uck!" Neil yelped, wiping his lips on the back of his hand. "Will you quit that? I'm not your mate!"

"_He bite you. Now you smell like him," _she said matter-of-factly.

"Ugh…" Neil went into his bathroom, wondering if it was too late to go get a rabies shot. He'd turned on the faucet and had soaped up a rag before he glanced in the mirror. There was something not quite right about his face… and had he always had buck teeth? _Oh, shiiii…_

The change swept through him, a pain so excruciating it seemed to burn out his pain receptors until he felt nothing at all. With a squeak, he fell to all fours, tearing at his suddenly constrictive clothing. It seemed to take forever, but lasted only moments. The pain suddenly stopped, and he was staring down a long muzzle at the female rat, who had followed him into his bathroom.

"_You a big one," _she said approvingly, cocking her head back to stare up at him.

Neil could only stare at his huge forepaws, which weren't quite rat feet. In fact, the size and shape were more reminiscent of Hein's stubby-fingered wolf paws, but with a thinner coating of fur. His legs seemed longer than a rat's, too; his belly was well off the floor. Neil reared onto his hind legs, rested his front paws on the porcelain sink and stared himself in the mirror.

He remembered the rat that had bit him, a monster that had had something of the wolf to its looks. Neil had those same characteristics: amber eyes, a broader, wolfish forehead, a slight point to his more upright ears, long legs, and a lean body.

"_Now you come, yes?" _the rat asked.

"_What?" _Neil asked distractedly. Was that really him? He touched his nose to the mirror and twitched his whiskers.

"_Come see Old One," _the rat said impatiently. _"She wait for you!"_

For a moment, Neil thought she meant Dr. Sid. But Dr. Sid wasn't a 'she,' so that ruled that out. _"What Old One?"_

The rat heaved a long-suffering sigh. It was odd how human she sounded, now that he understood her. He suddenly felt guilty for all the times he'd put out rat poison. And for being partially responsible for the death of her mate. _"Oldest rat. She say you come. I bring you. Follow."_

With that, she waddled off, and he followed slowly. It wasn't like he had anything better to do tonight, after all. But he'd draw the line at eating garbage…

When she paused by the air vent in his bedroom wall, however, he froze. _"Go through this way," _the rat told him.

Neil stared at her. _"Um, maybe you can fit in there, but I can't. I'm a bit bigger than you are!" _Maybe his head would fit once he pried off the grate, but his shoulders would get stuck. And it had never occurred to him that rats used the air ducts as passageways; great, the vermin could have gotten into everything in his room, and he'd never know. Once he was human again, he was welding that grate shut and burning all his clothing. The requisitions office was going to hate him… But first, he was going to have to see what the 'Old One' wanted. Assuming he could get to her.

"_You fit," _she told him. _"You rat. You squish." _She demonstrated by squeezing through the impossibly tight space between the grate and the wall, where one corner had been loosed. Neil sighed; he had the feeling she wouldn't leave it be until he proved he was too big to fit. He didn't fancy a night stuck in an air vent, but if it would get rid of the rat… Neil dug his claws into the gap between the grate and the wall, and with a mighty heave, he pulled it free.

Wow. So all those stories about lycanthropic strength were true.

Neil stuck his head into the open space, wrinkling his nose at the musty smell. Improved sense of smell was _not _a perk. Resigned to his fate, Neil began to push himself into the small space, and was surprised as his body did, indeed, squish. Soon, his whole body was inside the narrow space, except for his long, skinny tail. It was a good thing he wasn't claustrophobic; it felt as if the whole USMF building was pressing down on him.

"_See? You fit. Now, follow." _The rat set off at a brisk pace, and Neil followed behind, slowly.

He'd have to put his trust in the rat. He followed her every twist and turn, getting hopelessly lost in the process. He supposed he'd learn eventually to follow a scent trail, but right now, this was all too new. Neil made a noise that was half grumble, half squeak.

"_What wrong?" _the rat asked.

"_This is all too weird," _he said glumly. _"I mean, I'm talking to a rat!"_

"_Why that weird? Humans talk. Rats talk, too. You just not understand before."_

It had been years since anyone had actively studied rats. Had they been slowly evolving sentience while humans were busy fighting the war against Phantoms? Were they poised to take over the world if humans lost the war?

Comforting thought. _"So, uh, the big rat that bit me was your mate?"_

"_Yes." _Her squeaks sounded sad. _"He get bite from bald dog, then he change. He smell bad, like he have disease. And he eat our children."_

Suddenly, Neil didn't feel so guilty about his death. _"Then why do you trust me?"_

"_You not smell diseased. You smell different, but not tainted. Bald dog not smell tainted either. Not like black dog."_

Neil froze. 'Bald dog' was obviously Dr. Sid, and the 'black dog' could only be General Hein. What did she mean that he smelled 'tainted?' He asked her, but she only responded by saying _"That way." _

A glance through the next vent showed him that they'd entered the women's wing of the building. He ignored the sights until he heard a voice coming from a few grates down. It sounded like singing. And it sounded like… Jane? _"Stop for a moment; I want to see something." _He paused by her grate and peeked through.

She was dressed in a robe that had far more ruffles and frills than he would have expected on anything she owned. She was standing with her back to the grate, though he could clearly hear her surprisingly sweet, pure voice. "Oh my hero…" she was singing, and Neil pricked up his ears. _Oh, this is interesting… _When she shifted slightly, he could see she was singing to what looked like a stuffed octopus sitting on her chair. He wondered how he could use this to his advantage. "I'm the darkness…"

_She's sooo going to hear about this tomorrow. Who'd have thought that Jane liked opera?_

"_We go now?" _the rat said impatiently. _"The noise she make hurt my ears!"_

Maybe he could sell the info to Ryan, and he could use it in the continuing romantic adventures of feisty female soldier Joan Quickfoot.

"_Okay. Let's go." _They started moving again, more quickly now that Neil was getting used to squeezing himself through the tight duct. The female rat scampered ahead for awhile, then stopped.

"_We go out here and have to get in different grate," _she said. _"Is big open space out there." _She pressed her ear to the grate and waited a few moments. _"Humans not out there. We go." _She squeezed through another gap in the grate, and Neil wondered just how many grates had little 'rat doors.' _Hein mentioned something about a Dr. Carter who liked to do unauthorized experiments… what if he's been doing something to these rats? Because this is just way too strange!_

He decided not to think about that now, but he'd bring it up with Hein later. He pushed against the grate until it popped out with a loud clatter, and Neil slipped out. He paused to stretch his legs, which had started to cramp up. His bones gave a satisfying _pop, _and then he finally looked around. _"This is Dr. Sid's lab, I think," _he said conversationally to the rat.

She ignored him as she glanced around warily before sprinting across the open linoleum to crouch under a table. She shuffled along under the length of it, then sprinted to the gap between a cabinet and the floor. _"Come!" _she called back to him. _"Stay hidden!"_

_And how the hell am I supposed to do that? _he wondered. She could fit in the three inches of space under the cabinet, but he couldn't. So, ignoring her admonishing squeaks, Neil strolled casually across the floor, claws _tick_ing on the linoleum.

Then her squeaks became more alarmed. _"Hide! Human come!" _

Neil froze. He certainly had no desire to be seen like this. But where could he hide? There was no place for a human-sized rate! Desperately, he ducked behind a table, though he had no idea what he'd do if the person came around the side of the table and saw him. _"Tail! Tail!" _the rat warned him, and Neil mentally cursed as he realized most of his tail was in plain sight beyond the table. He pulled to his body with his back foot, just in time as Dr. Aki Ross entered the lab with a loud yell. "Sid! I'm back! I got the stupid bird! Where are you?"

There was a loud clatter as something was slammed onto the table above Neil. "Sid? Are you here? I thought you wanted to test the spirit!" She gave an exasperated growl. "Fine. We'll do it tomorrow. I have better places to be than sit around here waiting for you."

Neil was relieved; if she'd decided to stick around and wait for him, she'd be here all night. As far as he knew, she had no idea that her mentor was currently spending his time in his room as a large, balding werewolf.

She left as noisily as she'd come, and Neil peered around the corner of the table just to make sure there was no one else in the lab. The rat began to squeak urgently at him to follow, but a fluttering noise from the table top caught Neil's attention. He reared to his hind legs, staring in fascination at the bird in the cage. Its beady eyes fastened on him, and it gave a noisy chirp. Neil had never seen a living bird before, and he watched its rapid movements with interest. Why did Dr. Sid want a bird?

There was a label on the cage: SPARROW – FOURTH SPIRIT? Neil had no idea what that meant, but he was becoming aware of something else: this tiny, innocent creature was starting to look delicious. His stomach growled, and he began to salivate. _What if Dr. Sid has Aki bring in animals for him to eat? _He imagined crunching down on the bird, tasting its warm blood. And suddenly, he had to do it. Before his rational mind could reassert itself, Neil opened the cage, grabbed the bird, and popped it into his mouth. He crunched it absently as he followed the rat, who had watched all this with amazement. _"You can open things!" _she said, awed. He grinned, a sinister expression with blood and bits of feather still stuck in his teeth, and wiggled his stubby opposable thumb at her. _"You will make good Rat King!" _she continued excitedly.

"_A… what?" _Neil asked, wondering if he'd heard right. But she just ran towards another vent, this time waiting for Neil to pry the grate off. Clearly, she wanted to watch his thumbs at work.

"_Not far now! Old One this way!" _She was running now, and Neil had to push himself along as fast as he could to keep sight of her. He was surprised he could still see her at all – he seemed to have excellent night vision.

She paused at a gap in the roof of the duct, where a metal panel had fallen loose. Showing a surprising athleticism, she sprang up into the darkness above, and Neil followed behind. It was a tight fit; wires crisscrossed above him, and he could feel a tingle that made his fur stand on end: there was a bio-etheric channel close by. While the energy didn't affect werewolves, and the giant rat in the city's underbelly had handled it fine, being in such close proximity to the channel made Neil nervous. The rat seemed unbothered by this, however, for she ran along its length, and Neil could only follow suit.

Their journey ended in a wide open area lined with wires and littered with trash. Neil would have whistled in admiration if he could; this wasn't so much a rat's nest as a rat _city. _He could see bright little eyes peering out of dark places, watching him as he passed.

She led him to a gap between what looked like a hot-water pipe and an electrical conduit. There was a nest between them, made of shed fur, shreds of cloth, and shiny bits and pieces of things salvaged from who-knew-where. Neil suddenly realized where the phrase 'pack rat' came from.

Inside the nest was the most decrepit creature Neil had ever seen. Its patchy fur was gray, and its body was all skin and bones. White cataracts covered its eyes. _"Wow… how old is she?" _Neil asked with his normal lack of tact.

"_She almost four years old," _his companion said reverently.

Neil devoutly hoped a rat's life span wasn't part of his new lifestyle.

"_Is this him?" _The Old One asked. Her squeaks were surprisingly clear, not high – or higher, anyway – or quavery at all. She turned her blind eyes in his direction, twitching her nose.

"_Is him," _the younger female said reverently.

"_Come closer. I need to smell you. I must know if you carry the taint." _She spoke much better than the other rats, too. Neil leaned forward, and she touched her dry nose to his. She drew in a deep breath, taking in his scent. _"You are free of the taint," _she said after a long moment. _"It does not hide in your blood."_

Neil supposed that was reassuring. _"What is the taint?" _he asked.

"_Badness," _The Old One said, and shuddered. So did Neil's young female guide.

_Well, that doesn't explain anything. "Okay, so now that we've established that I'm free of this 'taint,' now what?"_

"_Now you become our leader, our Rat King."_

Neil blinked. _"Wha?" _he asked blankly.

"_The bad things that kill the humans kill us, too. We need someone who can protect us. I am too old."_

"_Uh…" _Lovely. How was he going to get out of this? Neil could barely take care of himself half the time; how did they think he could take care of an entire population of rats? _"You do know that I'm only in this body a few nights a month, right?" _he asked. At least, he assumed that was true. That he could possibly be stuck in this form for the rest of his life didn't bear thinking about.

"_You will still hear us as a human. You can still help us. You can stop the bald dog and the black dog from eating us. You can tell us where humans put their poisons. You can warn us when humans plan to come to these tunnels to do things to these pipes."_

That didn't sound so bad. Neil had been half-afraid that they wanted him to take on the Phantoms single-handed to protect them. _"I wouldn't have to live down here?"_

The Old One scoffed. _"And fill our home with your human stink? No. You are more useful living with the humans."_

Neil considered. It would mean extra work, but he could find most of the info the rats needed in the Rat's Nest. And the rest, well, maybe he could just ask Hein and Sid not to eat rats?

"_In exchange," _the Old One continued, _"we could tell you things that _you _would need to know. We rats can go where humans cannot."_

In other words, they were willing to become his spy network. At first, he was skeptical; what could rats tell him? Then again, they seemed pretty smart. If he could train them what to look for, he could send them off, have them gather information… The potential was mind-boggling. Protect the rats, and he would know _everything._

"_All right. Let's give this a try. You have yourself a Rat King."_

The young female gave a delighted squeal. _"I stay with him!" _She rubbed her head on his paw. _Oh, great… "I be messenger when he human!"_

"_So, where do I begin?" _Neil wondered.

The Old One chittered, and a couple of younger rats came at her call. _"You tell these rats what to do, so they'll be useful to you. They're the smartest ones here; they'll serve you well."_

Neil's muzzle split into a snaggle-toothed grin. Maybe this would be fun, after all. With this, his own personal information network, he would know _everything _that went on in New York City. He could be more than just the Rat King… he could be the most powerful being in the city.

_Heh… maybe I should seriously start thinking about world conquest…_

The End

Stay tuned for the next 'Misadventure,' a multi-chaptered fic called "The Ancient One." It was originally intended as a Halloween story. See how far behind I am?


	7. The Ancient One Part One

**Summary: **A 'Misadventure.' A mysterious woman has arrived in New York. Sid feels he's met her somewhere before, but he can't remember where. Who is she, and how is she connected to a series of vicious attacks?

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters involved except Doctors Carter and Monroe.

Author's Note: This is the seventh 'Misadventure,' one of those darker-toned ones that may soon become the norm for the series. I feel so proud of me! It's not a _great_ series, but at least it's one that I've managed to get fairly far into, and I have several more ideas. These seem to be the easiest fics for me to write right now, for some reason. Don't complain; it does keep me writing TSW fic. Go, me. I'm starting to branch out and write from the POV's of other characters beside Sid now, including rats, it seems. And this is the point at which this series begins to become an AU from the normal TSW universe. This would have been a Halloween fic if I'd have had the time for it. Now I have to see if I can finish this before the following Christmas fic. I seriously need to stop doing seasonal stories. I shouldn't be making this a multi, either, but that's how it came out. I'll try to update this as rapidly as possible; it's only going to be three chapters long.

_**The Ancient One**_

_The Misadventures of Dr. Sid, Aging Werewolf_

_One – Evil's Arrival_

Dr. Sid wrapped his thin arms around himself and shivered; the scorching heat of day had given way to frigid night, and heating the massive military hangar was impossible due to it being open to the sky, bound only by the barrier. He wished he wore more than his flimsy lab smock. He wished for fur and tough skin that didn't feel the cold quite as much as his fragile human body. But the full moon was a week away; for now, he was left stomping his feet and rubbing his arms to keep his blood circulating.

Standing to his right was General Hein, seemingly unaware of the cold as he glared at the barrier gate as if his ire would make it open and reveal the transport that was overdue for its midnight arrival.

To Dr. Sid's left stood a young man, also dressed in a scientist's smock, though the cold seemed to have no effect on him. _Ah, the resilience of youth… _Since their guest was taking her sweet time to arrive, Dr. Sid took the time to surreptitiously study the tall youth beside him.

His name was Dr. Joseph Carter, a geneticist of some repute despite the fact that he was three years younger than Aki. He was unusual in appearance, with his hair the rust-red of dried blood, the clearest blue eyes Dr. Sid had ever seen, and a golden skin tone that spoke of mixed blood. But it wasn't just his looks that drew Dr. Sid's curiosity – the old scientist wanted to know what was going on behind those oh-so-innocent blue eyes.

Any man who could so callously perform unauthorized experiments on a fellow human being was _not _right in the head. Not that Dr. Sid could prove there was something wrong with Carter – only he and General Hein knew the youth was up to something unwholesome, but Carter had covered his tracks too well for them to prove it. His behavior ever since that Halloween night had been above reproach.

As if sensing Dr. Sid's scrutiny, Dr. Carter turned to him. "What do you think she's like, this Dr. Monroe?" he asked.

Hein snorted. "She'll be just like the rest of you lot – a civilian with no understanding of the military whose been given too much power. And this one," he glanced at his watch, "seems to think highly enough of herself that she feels she can arrive 'fashionably late.'"

Dr. Sid bit back a retort. After all, Hein's view of the scientific community was legendary – why should his come as a surprise? Besides, it was almost one in the morning, and they were gathered on the uppermost tier of the New York barrier city, an area mostly open to the freezing night air. Who wouldn't be bitter?

Still, Dr. Sid had to admire the spectacular view. Part of the hangar looked out over the city itself, affording a panoramic view of the interconnected buildings reminiscent of the pictures he'd seen of the pre-Phantom New York skyline. As an added bonus, few Phantoms could reach this altitude, making it very quiet, even peaceful, at this height. If only it weren't so damned cold!

"I've never heard the Council speak so highly of a scientist before," Dr. Sid said slowly, hoping the jealousy he felt wasn't obvious. He may have been the brains behind the barrier, but his Gaia theory had given him the reputation of being a crackpot. Apparently, this Dr. Monroe was so flawlessly brilliant, the entire Atlanta Council was enamored with her. Despite his jealousy, he was eager to hear what she could bring to the scientific community, to know what made her so special. For them to request that the highest ranking military man in New York be present for a scientist's arrival was unheard of.

"Did they ever say _why _they think so highly of her, though?" Carter mused. "It seems odd that she's supposed to be this big brain, but I've never even heard-"

The hum of the opening barrier gate drowned out Carter's words, and all three of them turned to watch as a small transport slipped through the gap the moment there was enough room for it. It barely made it; Dr. Sid winced when he heard the scream of metal on metal as the transport scraped the hangar floor. The gate immediately reversed direction and began to close before any Phantoms could see the breech.

"Pilot's careless," Hein seethed. "That lunatic could have damaged the barrier."

They waited as the pilot landed the light craft. After a few moments, the hatch hissed open, and all eyes fastened on the dark interior as they waited for their first glimpse of Dr. Monroe. Dr. Sid stood stiffly, a sharp contrast to Hein's slumped, fidgety form – obviously, he didn't believe this important personage deserved the respect she was due. After standing around so long in the cold, Dr. Sid was inclined to agree.

A figure stepped through the hatch, clad in a light-armor pilot's uniform. A visored helmet hid the pilot's features. Hein sneered at the hotshot pilot before turning back to the hatch. When no one followed the pilot out, Dr. Sid turned curiously to the featureless figure walking towards them.

"Sorry I'm late," a female voice with a faint British accent said, as gloved fingers fumbled with the clasps to her helmet. "I had to make an emergency landing in Philly." She pulled off the helmet and smiled at them, then snapped up her hand in a crisp salute. "I'm Dr. Alison Monroe."

They stared. Even Dr. Sid, who had thought he was too old to be affected, was stunned by the woman's beauty. She was about Aki's age, with pale, flawless skin, a heart-shaped face, and almond-shaped eyes so dark a brown they were almost black. Her hair was pulled back in a braid to better fit under the helmet, but Dr. Sid could tell it would be long when loosed, and fall in gentle waves. The color of her hair was most striking – red, like Dr. Carter's, but hers was the shade of fresh-spilled blood, a hue that _couldn't _have been natural, yet it fit her. Sid frowned as something about that hair tugged at his memory, but he couldn't place it.

"Dr. Monroe," Hein said smoothly, stepping forward and offering his hand to the doctor. "I am General Douglas Hein of the United States Military Forces. We are honored by your presence."

Dr. Sid was stunned by Hein's total reversal of attitude. Only moments ago, he'd been against the woman's presence, but now… Now he reminded Sid of a wolf submissively crawling on his belly, trying to ingratiate himself to his Alpha. Equally shocking was his own urge to do the same. Even Dr. Carter was watching her with an expression that could only be described as worshipful.

"It's a pleasure to be here," Dr. Monroe smiled. "I hope that I can serve your Council well."

"Let me show you to your quarters," Hein said, taking Dr. Monroe's hand. "You must be exhausted after your flight. Tomorrow, there should be time for a tour of the USMF complex before the Council meeting. I'm sure you're eager to see the labs? They're state-of-the-art…" Hein led her away, talking all the while. Dr. Sid and Dr. Carter followed, each of them eagerly contributing to the conversation whenever Hein paused to take a breath.

It never occurred to Dr. Sid until later that they forgot to put Dr. Monroe through the scanner.

XXX

General Hein had spent a restless night; being in Dr. Monroe's presence had been like a heady drug, but as soon as he left her to her room, he began to wonder what the deal was. Why had he responded to her like he had? She was just another scientist; another nuisance who would interfere with his job as the city's protector.

_It was late and I was tired, _he told himself. _I have a stressful job; anyone would be a little crazy after a day with my job. _Not that he was doing much better this morning, he observed. There were dark rings around his eyes, and his face was paler than normal. He yawned as he ran his gel-covered fingers through his hair, smoothing down the spiky tufts that had sprung up overnight.

_I'd never be interested in her, anyway. I swore to myself that I would never love another woman. _He pulled his fingers from his hair and examined his left hand, and his lips curled in a snarl. _But then, I also swore that I'd never remove my wedding ring, either. _There was a phantom ache from the short stub that had once been his ring finger; although amputating it had cured him of his silver poisoning, losing the finger had been like losing an important part of himself. At least he'd been able to keep the ring, even if he couldn't touch it without breaking out in a rash.

_Don't worry, _he told himself after a moment. _When she meets you for her tour in half an hour, you'll see her for what she really is, and you won't lose any more sleep thinking of her. _Hein washed the gel off his hands, took another quick glance at himself in the mirror to make certain he hadn't missed a spot when he'd shaved, then went to get dressed.

He was pulling on his heavy leather coat when he heard the knock on the door. _That would be her, _he thought, bracing himself. He schooled his face into his best superior smile, and opened the door.

"Good morning, General," Dr. Monroe smiled warmly, and Hein's heart skipped a beat. She was just as beautiful as he remembered; more beautiful, in fact, now that her blood-red hair fell in silky waves to her waist, and her perfect body was emphasized by a form-fitting emerald green shirt with a low neck and tight black jeans. He'd never met a scientist that dressed like that…

"G'mornin," he managed. Her smile broadened. "Ready for our tour?"

"Yes," she said, her dark eyes shining. "I'm surprised you offered to take me yourself; you don't have to go out of your way for me, you know. I'm just a scientist."

"I don't think you could ever be 'just' a scientist, Dr. Monroe," Hein blurted out before he could stop himself. _What's wrong with me? Why can't I control myself? _

Dr. Monroe blushed. "Thank you. And please, call me Alison."

"I'm Douglas," he said, dimly aware that she already knew his name, but he had to say something to impress her. "Shall we begin the tour?" he asked, gallantly offering his arm.

She accepted, looping her arm through his. "Let's go. I look forward to seeing everything you can show me."

XXX

"Something's weird about her."

Dr. Sid suppressed a groan. He'd had a bad night, and had woken with a headache. The last thing he needed was to listen to Dr. Carter, who had taken the seat next to him in the Council chamber, much to the consternation of Aki. _Something's weird about you, _Sid wanted to counter, but he kept the thought to himself. Carter didn't know Sid had been the one to destroy his experiments; it was better to let him think that Sid was an ally so it would be easier to catch him when he slipped up. "What do you mean?" he asked after a moment, massaging his temples.

Dr. Carter's eyes never left Dr. Monroe, who was seated next to General Hein, in Major Elliot's seat. The major looked miffed; he and Aki would probably comfort each other later. Sid decided not to think about that – it made his head hurt even worse.

"I've never seen the general latch on to a scientist like that," Dr. Carter said.

"His wife was a redhead; maybe she just reminds him of her," Sid said gruffly. His own eyes were on the woman; again, he had that vague feeling that he'd seen her before, but he couldn't figure out where or when.

"Maybe… But last night… well… didn't you feel it?" Dr. Carter asked. "When I was near her, I wanted to… to… to get closer to her, to bask in her presence and win her approval. I've never felt that way about anyone before."

Sid rolled his eyes. "It sounds to me like you have a crush on her," he said shortly. "It's nothing to get worried about. You're both young, she's pretty… it happens."

Carter snorted. "I know what a crush feels like," he said coolly. "And that's not what it was. What I felt last night… it felt _wrong, _somehow. And I could see it in your eyes; you felt something, too."

Dr. Sid wanted to tell the youth to mind his own business, but he had to admit that Carter was right; he'd felt the same way. "It's nothing to worry about," he said at length. "She's just a fellow scientist."

Carter looked frustrated, but before he could say anything more, the Council members took their seats, and Councilwoman Hee began by welcoming Dr. Monroe to New York. Monroe stood up, warmly thanked the Council for having her, and launched into her prepared speech.

_Her voice is very musical, _Sid thought, listening to the cadences of her voice rather than her actual words. It seemed to soothe the ache in his head, and he shut his eyes blissfully. He vaguely remembered the Council asking his opinion about something, and he seemed to recall nodding his head in agreement. What she spoke of, however, was something he couldn't remember later when he found himself standing outside the Council chamber, staring blankly at the doorway, wondering how the hell he'd gotten there.

Several others stood beside him, all of them seemingly in a similar daze. Then, almost as one, they snapped out of it. Dr. Sid stared as the scientists and military gathered around him began to talk loudly about Dr. Monroe's brilliance, about how good she'd be for the city, about how, with her helping them, the Phantoms were as good as dead. None of them seemed aware of the daze they'd been in only moments before; it seemed only Sid himself had caught it. _What the hell just happened in there? And why am I the only one who seems to notice something amiss? _

He scanned the dispersing crowd for Dr. Carter, but didn't see the younger man anywhere. He did spot Aki, and he called to her. She came to him, flashing him a wide grin. Dr. Sid suddenly had the feeling that she'd been too busy with Major Elliot to pay any attention to the meeting. "So, what do you think of Dr. Monroe?" he asked

"Huh?" she looked confused for a moment. "Oh, right, the redhead. Uh… She seems nice."

Nope. He definitely wasn't going to get anything useful from Aki. He sighed; where had he gone wrong with her? She'd seemed so promising when he'd first taken her on as his protégé. "Did you hear anything she said?" he asked irritably.

Aki cocked her head. "I thought I heard her mention something about purple fish, but I wasn't paying too much attention. In fact, everything I heard her say sounded a little weird, but I figured I was just hearing it out of context." She shrugged. "I'm sure it was a great speech and all, but can we discuss this later? I have to be somewhere."

He let her go; he didn't want her to question him too closely about Dr. Monroe's speech and learn that he'd heard less than she had. He'd never live it down. But… 'purple fish?' What did that mean?

Dr. Sid listened to the chatter around him as the crowd continued to thin. All of them had nothing but high praise for Dr. Monroe, but _not one of them mentioned what she'd been talking about! _Even the scientists were curiously mum about the subject, when they should have been analyzing everything she'd had to say, whether they agreed with it or not.

Sid wondered if he was being paranoid, because he couldn't help but think that this was beginning to seem like a case of mass hypnosis…

XXX

"You're brilliant, you know that?" Hein asked. He was walking Dr. Monroe back to her room; an act she'd insisted was unnecessary, but she hadn't protested too much. She seemed to love the attention she was getting from him, and, to his delight, she seemed to want to return it, as well.

"Thank you. It means a lot to me to hear that from a general famous for his contempt of all things scientific."

Hein's face fell. "It… it's not quite like that," he faltered. "It's just… none of the scientists here make as much sense as you. I've got a man here who believes in some crap about the earth having a spirit, or something like that. When someone tells you they want to defeat the Phantoms with an army of plants and animals, or something like that, it's difficult to have much faith in the scientific community."

Monroe laughed. "Spirits? That is a little bizarre, especially in a scientist. I like a man who knows the difference between fantasy and reality." She patted his shoulder.

He smiled, but it was a weak smile. While he didn't share Dr. Sid's beliefs, his life wasn't as logical as he liked to pretend. What would she say if he told her he got a little hairy when the moon was full? Not that he was planning to tell her, of course, but still… "Someone has to be the voice of reason."

"I'm glad it's the man in charge," Monroe said. She paused, her dark eyes searching Hein's face. "I know this is a little forward, but… would you like to go out to dinner tonight? You're the only person in New York that I really know, and I don't want to eat alone if I don't have to."

"I'd love to," Hein said immediately.

"Excellent," she said. "What do you say we meet at, oh, seven?"

Well, he had a lot of paperwork to do and usually didn't get out of the office until nine… _Oh, hell, I'll just have Major Elliot do it. The man's gotta be good for something. _"Seven is good," Hein said.

Monroe grinned, flashing perfect white teeth. "Excellent," she repeated. "I'll see you then."

XXX

Dr. Sid hovered uncertainly before the closed door, once again running through the facts. What evidence he had was slim at best; at worst, it was a paranoid delusion that was about to cost him a hefty sum of money. Was he willing to take this risk?

It might be nothing… but what if it wasn't? Dr. Sid knocked on the door before him. There was no response, so he knocked again. Seconds before he gave up and left, the door slid open, revealing Corporal Neil Fleming. His hair was damp and his clothes were ruffled; Sid must have interrupted his shower. "Hey, Doc, what are you doing here?"

Neil stood aside, letting Sid into the room. "I hear you're in the information business," Sid said without preamble.

"Oh?" Neil said carefully. "And what do you mean by that?"

"I'm willing to pay," Sid said, holding up his credit card.

Neil grinned. "Have a seat, Doc. How can I help you?" He sat on the edge of his bed, letting Sid take the desk chair.

"I need to know everything about a scientist, Dr. Alison Monroe. She's the new scientist that arrived last night." Neil nodded; Sid should have known the man would be aware of it even if he wasn't involved. "I want to know where she's from, what she's done for Atlanta, the usual." He hesitated, unsure how to continue. He decided to just take the plunge. "I also need you to spy on her." Neil feigned surprise until Sid continued, "I know you're a wererat, Neil – and I also know that the other rats look up to you." He grinned at Neil's shocked look. "You may be able to hide that from a human, but as a lycanthrope, I can learn a lot from scent, such as the fact that you _ate _the fourth spirit."

"Er… you mean the bird? Was it important?"

"It's just a 'save the world' thing," Sid said darkly. "I'll make sure you pay for it, later. For now, though, can you set rats to watch Dr. Monroe?"

"Sure, Doc. But why? I'll understand if you can't tell, but if I knew what to tell the rats to look for, it would make things easier."

"There's something… off about her. I don't know what it is. But she's got Hein hovering around her like she's a bitch in heat and-"

Neil's eyes widened. "He's what? That bastard!"

Sid decided to ignore this. "-and I just spent an hour in the Council chamber listening to her talk, and I can't remember a word she said, though I seem to recall it being good. She's been here less than a day, and she already has the entire scientific community fawning over her."

"She's brilliant," Neil pointed out. "Maybe they just admire her?"

"You don't know scientists very well, do you? We don't just blindly accept something another of us says; we analyze it, tear it to pieces, come up with reasons it's no good, even if it is a sound theory. We _never _unanimously accept something one of our peers says."

Neil frowned. "No wonder you guys never get invited to parties." He paused to lean over, peering under his bed. He made a curious squeaking noise, and Sid started when something under the bed answered him. When he straightened, he held a large rat in his arms, which scurried up onto his shoulders and wrapped itself around his neck. "This is Freya," he introduced. "She thinks of herself as my mate, and she serves as my liaison with my little rodent spies." He scratched her head, and she made a contented crooning noise. "You understand, it's going to cost you big if I do this."

"I'm never going to use all this," Sid said, handing him the credit card.

Neil grinned. "Thank you, Doc. I'll get right on it."

XXX

Hein had expected to go out to one of New York's fanciest restaurants, and dressed accordingly. But when Dr. Monroe showed up at his door, she held a picnic basket in one hand and had a blanket slung across her shoulders.

"What's that?" Hein asked, pointing to the basket.

"I had the mess hall whip up something for us for dinner. I thought maybe we could eat in the park you showed me this morning. You don't seem like the type to have ever done anything like that, so I figured it would be fun."

Hein smiled faintly; no, he hadn't done anything like this lately, but before his wife died, she had adored surprising him like this. He felt a wave of sadness, but he suppressed it. "Just… let me change. I don't think I want to be seen in the park wearing my dress uniform." He had a reputation to maintain, after all.

As he changed his clothing, a soft skittering noise distracted him. He frowned and glanced toward the grate to the vent, kneeling down and peering through the grill. He didn't see anything, but his enhanced werewolf senses picked up the scent of rat. He shrugged and continued to dress.

XXX

The rat in the vent moved to the grate in the main room of Hein's apartment and peered out at Dr. Alison Monroe. He pushed his way out of the grate, creeping towards the woman. A soft movement made the rat freeze in place, but when nothing further happened, he continued forward.

He slunk under the chair where she was seated, and inched towards her ankles. Whiskers twitched as he took in the scent, and he almost squeaked in puzzlement. The woman's scent was covered by that stinky stuff humans used to cover their natural scent, but beneath that was something else, something _wrong,_ not in the way the Black Dog's was, but something entirely different. It made him want to run away, squeaking at the top of his lungs, but his King had told him to do this, and he would obey.

He squatted on his haunches and reared in the air, trying to place what it was about her scent that made his fur stand on end. It almost smelled like… The rat fell back on all fours, considering. Once, while traveling through the air vents, he'd found the body of mouse, a mummified corpse too dried-out to eat. It had had a dry, dusty smell to it; that's what this woman's odor reminded him of: Old death. But why would a human smell –

Something grabbed his tail, and he squealed in surprise. The woman had moved far faster than any human should have been able to, and she held him before her face. "Aren't you a bold one?" she asked, though the rat couldn't understand her words. She smiled, revealing sharp white teeth. Her grip on his tail tightened, and he squealed louder.

Her other hand came up, wrapping around his neck. Her fingers tightened around his throat, cutting off his squeals. He couldn't breath, and the thrashed in her grip. "Stupid, but bold. Poor thing." Her voice was a predatory growl, and the rat managed to turn his muzzle so he could look at her savagely contorted face, and meet eyes that glowed scarlet.

It was the last thing he saw before she bit his head off.

XXX

When Hein came out of his bedroom, Dr. Monroe was getting to her feet. "I've got to go," she said abruptly. "I was just beeped; I'm needed for something. Can we put this off until tomorrow?"

Hein was about to protest that she hadn't even been here twenty-four hours yet; how could they need her already? But then he met her eyes… and he couldn't remember what he'd been about to say. "Okay," he said weakly.

She fled from his room, leaving behind the picnic basket. He stared blankly at the door for several minutes before shaking his head to clear it. He had a strange impression of red streaking that perfect face, then shrugged. _Must have been a few strands of stray hair_.

He opened up the picnic basket, figuring there was no sense wasting it. As he picked through the contents, however, he couldn't help but wonder: Why were there only enough portions for one person?

XXX

Dr. Sid sat in his lab, wondering if Aki would deign to show up. She was supposed to be helping him locate a new fourth spirit by taking a trip in one of the gondolas, but somehow, he seriously doubted she'd even show up. _I'm going to have to put some sort of territorial shock collar on her so she can't leave the lab._

He shut down the scanner he'd readied for Aki, then leaned back in his chair. It was starting to seem like _nothing _was going to get done lately; Aki had been worthless ever since she'd begun seeing Elliot, and now most of the other scientists working in the labs were so jazzed about Dr. Monroe that they couldn't concentrate on their work. The only other scientist Sid had seen was Dr. Carter, who'd been sulking in his own lab ever since Sid had refused to listen to him.

Maybe he should go see if Neil had dug anything up yet. But it was getting late; Neil may have gone to bed already. Sid's own eyelids felt heavy, and he considered going to bed himself. He'd worry about Dr. Monroe tomorrow…

He closed his eyes, letting his head fall back on the hard plastic seat back. Maybe he'd just rest for a few minutes…

And then his eyes jerked open as his sensitive ears caught a sound. He held his breath, wondering if what he'd heard had been a dream. And then, impossibly, he heard it again, a low, mournful sound that made him want to throw back his head and join in. Somewhere, in the distance, a wolf howled.

To Be Continued…


	8. The Ancient One Part Two

**Summary: **A 'Misadventure.' A mysterious woman has arrived in New York. Sid feels he's met her somewhere before, but he can't remember where. Who is she, and how is she connected to a series of vicious attacks?

Disclaimer: Square owns all TSW characters involved in this fic. Dr. Carter and Dr. Monroe are mine, however.

Author's Note: Ah, the next chapter. I don't have anything to say about it, really, except that I'm going to hurry and try to get the final one up soon. It will be done before Christmas! It will! The next one, the Christmas one, on the other hand, I'll be lucky to have done by then. But I'll try. And you'll notice that I wasn't feeling particularly creative in naming the rats… let's see how many of you can figure out where their names come from. You won't get a prize or anything, but you can have the satisfaction of knowing you guessed. Also, this chapter is a little bloody; maybe I should up the rating a bit… You'll notice that I've sown the seeds for another past Dr. Sid fic here. It was totally unintended; kind of a last minute addition.

_**The Ancient One**_

_The Misadventures of Dr. Sid, Aging Werewolf_

_Two – Spiral into Darkness_

_Red eyes burned in the darkness, a scorching gaze that seemed to set his nerves on fire. Sid couldn't move, couldn't even _breathe _under that intense glare. His sharp eyes could just make out the lithe form, crouched over something else that looked horribly like a human body…_

"_Hello, Doctor," a sensuous voice purred. The speaker straightened, and despite the fact that she was a few inches shorter than Sid himself, she seemed to loom over him. She took a step forward, her mane of hair swinging around her like a gleaming blood-colored cloak as she stepped from the darkness into the pool of light cast by the lamp. "I didn't expect you to be back so soon." She smiled, exposing sharp teeth._

_Whatever hold she'd had over him broke when she spoke, and Sid drew in a deep breath. "Elizabeth!" he gasped out. "What did you do to her?"_

_The redhead glanced back towards the dark shape. She licked her lips, tongue sliding over her long canines. "Elizabeth had an accident, I'm afraid. Silly thing, she tried to kill me! Can you believe that? I just defended myself. She hit her head when she fell." The woman gave a languid shrug. _

"_You… you killed her!" The figure behind the woman was far too still… and Sid's sensitive ears couldn't even hear the beat of her heart._

_The woman said, "You're better off without her." She stepped forward, her gaze seizing his. He couldn't look away from those cruel crimson eyes… "She didn't appreciate what you are. I do… and I can make you so much more…" Her fingers touched his shoulder, and he tried to pull away, but he couldn't break the power of that hypnotic gaze…_

XXX

Dr. Sid jerked into wakefulness. The dream was already fading, but he was left with an impression of red eyes, and a deep sadness that left him with a heavy heart. He rubbed his hand over his bald pate, kneading his forehead as if that was enough to ease the ache behind his eyes. He sat in his bed for a moment, willing the pain away, before he realized that something was wrong. The last thing he remembered was being in his lab, and now… how had he gotten into his bed? Try as he might, he couldn't recall how he'd gotten there. He'd write it off as a failing memory due to old age, except that he'd been suffering a lot of memory lapses since Dr. Monroe's arrival.

He rolled off his bed, and was in the middle of brushing his teeth when he realized he had visitors. Two rats had followed him into his bathroom and were staring up at him, as though they had something important to say. Seeing they had his attention, they scampered towards the air vent, pausing once to look back at him before squeezing through a loosened corner of the grate. Their presence could only mean one thing: Neil had something for him.

He hastily donned a lab smock, then headed towards Neil's room in the soldiers' quarters. Neil answered the door before he could knock, which mean the man had been waiting for him. He hurried Dr. Sid inside, and closed and locked the door behind them. Sid took a seat. "What do you have for me?" he asked. Neil took a seat on his bed, and immediately, the female rat jumped onto his shoulders.

"I hacked into Atlanta's files; I couldn't find much on Dr. Monroe. No papers she's published, no theories she's put forward, no transcripts of Council meetings she's attended, nothing. Apparently she's been living there for several years, after moving from San Francisco just before its fall. That might be why I can't find a birth certificate or anything; could have been lost in the fall – I'm going to try something to recover it, but it will be difficult. But I get the feeling that she moves around a lot, and that San Francisco was only a temporary home." Neil sighed. "That means her personal info could be _anywhere. _Except London; I checked there second since she has that accent. Nothing."

Dr. Sid frowned. "Wonderful," he muttered.

"But that's not why I had Jenner and Brutus bring you," Neil said, his tone grim. "I sent Fratley to watch Dr. Monroe last night, and he never returned. The other rats couldn't find him anywhere, either."

"Maybe he's lost? Or just ran away?" Sid suggested. He had trouble seeing rats – creatures that had often been a meal to him – as trustworthy spies.

"The rats know this city better than any human," Neil said. "And they wouldn't disobey their king."

Sid raised his eyebrows. So Neil thought of himself as their king? That couldn't be good… Someone would have to disabuse him of that notion later; a lycanthrope who saw himself as a ruler was trouble.

"That's not the only weird thing that happened last night," Neil continued. "A couple of my scouts claimed they heard a wolf last night."

Dr. Sid was about to scoff at this, then stopped. _A wolf… _Now that he thought about it, he seemed to dimly recall hearing a wolf's howl, right before that gaping hole in his memory. "A wolf? Are you certain?"

Neil nodded. "There aren't any wolves in the New York zoo, are there?" At Sid's shake of the head, he continued, "Can we change shape when the moon isn't full?"

Dr. Sid carefully considered the question. "Lycanthropy is a strange thing that defies scientific explanation," he said slowly. "I wouldn't have thought my bite could transform that rat that bit you, or that its bite would have an affect on you. And there have been other anomalies, such as a reverse werewolf I met in my youth – I'll explain that sometime later," he added hastily, seeing Neil's curiosity. "If it was a werewolf, though… well, there's an enzyme that can trigger the transformation, but it's difficult to synthesize." Neil's eyes widened. "In fact, I don't know if anyone else has ever tried to make it. No, don't ask me about _that, _either. It's a long story." He looked at the young corporal, searching his expression. "You're not thinking that _she's _a werewolf, are you? Because she is odd, but I would have scented what she was when she first arrived." Well, that was normally true; he hadn't been able to scent the change in Hein at first, because the general was the offspring of a lycanthrope and, even though he hadn't inherited the curse, he had had an unusual musk to anyone with a nose sharp enough to pick it up that marked him as a half-breed.

"I don't know what I think," Neil said, frustrated. "You left me with quite an enigma, one who's spending a hell of a lot of time with General Hein."

"Ah," Sid said, not wanting to encourage that train of thought.

"I'll keep looking," Neil said after a moment. "I'll send one of my rats over if I find anything useful."

Dr. Sid stood up. "Thank you."

Neil grinned. "Hey, the money you left me is going to get me out of my debt to Jane. Don't ever play poker with her; she's got the best poker face I've ever seen. Now I don't have to worry about her coming to break my kneecaps. Or anything else, for that matter."

Sid smiled faintly and left. The next stop was his lab; time to see if the other scientists had come to their senses. Time to see if he could actually get Aki to get her mind on her work and help him find another spirit to replace the fourth.

The scientists weren't just in their labs; they were abuzz with news, and it wasn't about Dr. Monroe. At first, Dr. Sid was just glad to see them functioning as normal human beings again, but then he actually listened to what they were saying.

"Wait… what happened?" Dr. Sid asked Betty, one of his assistants. The woman turned from the man she was talking to, and he could see an expression of fear on her face.

"Didn't you hear?" she asked.

"No… that would be _why _I'm asking," he said irritably.

"There was a murder in the labs last night!" she said breathlessly. "Dr. Murphy! His assistant found him this morning, or what was left of him, anyway. Apparently, he was ripped to shreds."

Dr. Sid's heart skipped a beat. _No…_

"That's not the strangest thing," she continued in a rush. "There was no blood, anywhere! Torn to pieces, and not a speck of blood!" That seemed to be the extant of her knowledge, for she turned away and ran to inform Aki, who was just entering.

"_Torn to pieces…" That's the standard werewolf method of killing, but… no blood? _Werewolves loved the taste of blood – it gave it flavor, like sauce on a steak – but for there to be no blood whatsoever… When a werewolf attacked, there was _always _blood, usually a lot of it. Unless the werewolf had cleaned up the mess… But why clean up the blood and leave the body? It made no sense!

"Did anyone see anything?" Dr. Sid asked. "Did the police find any evidence? Was anyone even here last night?" He knew he had been in the lab – but then, he'd somehow ended up in his room.

"No one was here." Dr. Carter's voice was soft, and Sid had to strain to hear him over the uproar. "I… I don't know why I wasn't. I should have been here; I was working on a fungal culture and then…" He shrugged.

"And then you woke up in your bed," Dr. Sid guessed.

Dr. Carter nodded. "How did you know?"

"That's what happened to me, too," he said. "Something very strange is going on here. I think I need to speak to General Hein. Has anyone brought this to his attention?"

"He wasn't in his room," Carter said, "or so the MP said when they arrived. Speaking of the MP, they want us to stay out of the labs for the rest of the day, until they're done with their investigations." He sounded disgruntled.

"I'm going to see if I can find Hein," Dr. Sid said. Something was going on here, and Dr. Monroe had to tie into it somehow. The gap in his memory from last night resembled the gap during the Council meeting the previous day; two memory losses couldn't be a coincidence. She had to be tied to this, but Sid was damned if he knew how!

XXX

She'd surprised him that morning. Hein had just barely stumbled out of bed when she'd knocked on his door. He'd answered, and there she was. Alison had flashed him that toothy smile, and his heart had skipped a beat. Despite the early hour, she looked wide-awake, with a sparkle in her dark eyes as she presented yet another picnic basket. "Since we couldn't do anything last night, I thought we could have breakfast in the park."

Hein seemed to dimly recall that he had something important to do at work that morning, but it seemed unimportant now. Nothing was more important than being in her presence. She made him feel good in a way he hadn't since… since he'd lost his wife. He would have followed her out of there right then, but she laughingly pointed out that it wouldn't look too good if he went to the park in his boxers. So he'd dressed and followed her out of his room like an obedient puppy.

That was how he found himself sprawled out on his stomach under a twisted little tree, with Alison beside him. They didn't speak; Hein was too busy just drinking her in. She was wearing a top with spaghetti straps, and he could see most of her back. His attention was on the spiral tattoo on her shoulder which had been revealed when she swept her hair to the side. He finally got up the nerve to ask, "What's the deal with the tattoo?"

She tilted her head, her dark eyes meeting his. "A dare," she admitted ruefully. "A friend of mine didn't think I would actually do it." She laughed. "We were a little drunk at the time, so I wasn't really thinking clearly about it and, next thing I know, I wake up with that on my back. I'm just glad it's a spiral, and not a nude woman or something like that."

He reached out to touch it, his fingers tentatively tracing the path. "I like it," he said finally. "Not many people get tattoos anymore."

"I call it my 'spiral into darkness,'" she murmured. "See how it's all black in the center? It's a slow, meandering path leading downward into darkness…" Her expression brightened. "Why don't you get one like it? We could match!"

Hein was about to protest. He barely knew this woman; why would he want to match? But he looked into those deep, dark eyes, and he couldn't refuse. "Okay," he said in a voice he hardly recognized as his own. "Let's go get a tattoo!"

XXX

Hein wasn't in his office. Nor was he in his room, or anywhere else in the USMF building. No one had seen Dr. Monroe, either. It was too early to worry when there wasn't any proof he was in danger, but Dr. Sid had the uneasy feeling that bad things were afoot. General Hein wasn't stupid; he wouldn't take off without telling someone where he'd gone.

Dr. Sid decided to go talk to Neil again, see if his rats could find the errant general. The corporal was on duty, but by asking around, Sid was able to locate him. He was in the hangar, working on one of the Copperheads. "Corporal?" Sid called. Neil jerked his head up, yelping when his forehead hit the ship's hull.

"Doctor! Is there a problem?" Neil asked, rubbing his head.

"The general's gone missing," Dr. Sid said grimly. "No one's seen him since last night, and he needs to be here. There's been a murder."

"What?" Neil's eyes widened. Murder was uncommon, though not unheard of. There hadn't been a known murder in New York in two years.

"Dr. Murphy, in one of the labs. He was torn to pieces." Dr. Sid hesitated. "Apparently, he was drained of blood."

Neil was silent for a long moment. He cupped his chin in one greasy hand, leaving a smear. "Are you sure?"

"I didn't see the body myself, but that's what I heard."

"Doctor… when I was looking through Atlanta's records for information about Dr. Monroe, I found a couple of news reports. A couple of scientists were found dead in their labs… the reports were vague, making it sound like they just died in a series of unrelated accidents. But there was a coroner's report on one of the bodies describing something similar to what you said happened. It caught my attention because it sounded like a werebeast attack."

"We don't drain blood," Dr. Sid said quietly.

"Then what-" A siren suddenly cleaved the air, and both Dr. Sid and Neil jumped.

"What the hell?" Dr. Sid yelped.

"It's a call to arms," Neil said, getting to his feet. "There's a Phantom attack!"

XXX

Getting a tattoo had hurt, but Alison assured Hein that the pain would fade. He only half-listened to the instructions on how to take care of it; he was more interested in the glow of approval on the doctor's face. They were sitting on his bed, and she was preparing to apply an ointment to ease the burning sensation on his skin. She ran one long nail down the spiral on his shoulder blade; it hurt, but something about it made him shiver with pleasure. "It looks good," Alison purred. She moved her face close, and he could feel her breath on the tender skin. It raised goosebumps on his flesh, but that was nothing compared to the sensation when she pressed her lips to the flushed skin. There was a soft prick, and Hein shut his eyes as he was lulled into a stupor.

And then the alarm went off. Hein rolled away from Alison, aware of a tearing sensation from the vicinity of his tattoo but too distracted to think about what had caused it. "What's going on?" Alison asked, holding her hand to her lips.

"I don't know," he began, but then his com bleeped and activated, thanks to the emergency override.

"General!" Major Elliot said, his panicked face filling the screen. "We've been looking everywhere for you!"

"What's going on?" Hein demanded, pulling his shirt on and wincing when the cloth scraped his tender skin.

"The Atlanta barrier city has suffered a malfunction. Phantoms are swarming the city, and they're requesting that we send reinforcements and assist in an evacuation." New York was the nearest city to Atlanta; Hein could have soldiers there under half an hour. "I've already sounded the alarm, and the troops are mobilizing."

_Elliot maybe a love-struck idiot most of the time, but at least I can count on him in an emergency. _"I'll be right there to take charge," Hein said. He shut down the com, then turned to Alison. "I'm sorry; I have to go."

"I understand. Please help them; I spent several years there, and I'd hate to see Atlanta totally lost."

Hein just gave her a quick nod as he rushed out the door.

Dr. Alison Monroe stared at the door for several long moments after he'd gone. _So close… I was so close! _She pulled her hand away from her mouth, revealing the trickle of blood down her chin. She licked her long canines broodingly. _He'll be back… and then the pathetic half-breed will be mine._

XXX

Dr. Sid ate dinner with Aki for the first time since she'd begun seeing Major Elliot. It was a somber affair, with neither of them able to think of anything to say. Sid had the television running, providing non-stop coverage of Atlanta's fall. From the sound, the city was completely lost, with far too few escape pods being recovered.

It made Sid mentally replay the fall of San Francisco, the city where he'd first met Aki when he'd been lecturing at a university. More distressing still were the memories of the fall of Toronto, when Sid had lost his beloved Elizabeth. He'd lived through sheer luck; the fall had happened on the night of a full moon, and once he'd changed, he'd become immune to the Phantom's attacks. He'd wished he could have died, but wolves were survivors, and he'd found himself escaping with his life.

He was only glad he hadn't seen his wife die; he didn't need that image to haunt him for the rest of his life.

_Red eyes burned in the darkness…_

He'd come home as a wolf to find her dead.

"_Hello, Doctor," a sensuous voice purred. The speaker straightened, and despite the fact that she was a few inches shorter than Sid himself, she seemed to loom over him. She took a step forward, her mane of hair swinging around her like a gleaming blood-colored cloak as she stepped from the darkness into the pool of light cast by the lamp. "I didn't expect you to be back so soon." She smiled, exposing sharp teeth._

She'd been lying so peacefully… she'd clearly gone to bed, and hadn't woken up in time.

_The redhead glanced back towards the dark shape. She licked her lips, tongue sliding over her long canines. "Elizabeth had an accident, I'm afraid. Silly thing, she tried to kill me! Can you believe that? I just defended myself. She hit her head when she fell." The woman gave a languid shrug. _

He'd wanted to bury her before fleeing the city, but he didn't have time before the sun rose.

_The woman said, "You're better off without her." She stepped forward, her gaze seizing his. He couldn't look away from those cruel crimson eyes… "She didn't appreciate what you are. I do… and I can make you so much more…" Her fingers touched his shoulder, and he tried to pull away, but he couldn't break the power of that hypnotic gaze…_

So he'd ran…

Hadn't he?

He hadn't thought about Toronto's fall in years; there was no use dwelling on the past. But now… Now, there was something wrong with his memory.

"Sid? Are you all right?" Aki asked.

Dr. Sid ignored her.

"_You still reject me?" She slapped him with surprising force, shattering his nose and raking furrows in his flesh. Her skin seemed to ripple, a prelude to a change, but then it stopped. "No." She glanced backwards, towards that too-still form. "I've hurt you enough for now. But I will make you regret it."_

This was impossible; the woman in the thirty-year-old memory was a match for Dr. Alison Monroe. He was dreaming… he'd become so paranoid about her, and this new crisis had him so upset that his mind had created this new fantasy to torment him.

"_Maybe I'll just take that bastard son of yours…"_

A dream. It was all a dream.

"Sid?"

"I think I need to lay down," he said, getting to his feet. "Otherwise I'm going to go mad."

He left Aki to stare after him, puzzled. Then she shrugged and cleaned up the dinner dishes before heading off to her own apartment. She didn't see how he was going to get any sleep; she knew she wasn't going to get any until she knew Major Elliot was safe.

XXX

_It's working faster than I expected! _Joseph Carter watched the screen in fascination as dark blotches appeared against the blank white backdrop with surprising speed. The image was a projection of what was happening under the microscope, on a slide that mixed fungal DNA with a growth hormone he was developing. If he could speed the growth of plants and fungi, then the few farms that still existed could supply more food faster by producing and harvesting crops twice, or even three times a year. If that happened, he could get all the funding he could ever want. Enough to work on a few side experiments…

Speaking of which… Carter looked once at the petrie dish containing more of the growing fungi to make certain it was growing, then leaned down to open the small freezer set under the table. The labs were empty – the previous night's murder combined with the fall of Atlanta had left most people too depressed to think about experiments – so he had plenty of time to work on his pet project. He pulled out a rack of test tubes, thirty in all, all filled with fluids either a pale red or green.

Last Halloween, an experiment Carter had been running – an 'unofficial' and highly illegal experiment – had been carelessly destroyed. He didn't know who had done it, since no one had reported him, but he'd lost almost everything, and no longer dared run anything so risky in such a crowded environment. However, while cleaning up and destroying everything to do with his experiment, he'd found peculiar pools of blood. He'd analyzed them in the hopes of finding out who knew what he'd been doing, and what he'd found was startling. The samples were like nothing he had ever seen.

Carter removed the fungus slide from the microscope and prepped another slide, delicately applying a drop from one of the test tubes. This, and most of the other samples in the group, was not a pure sample; he'd isolated the anomaly in the blood and started blending it with various other types of DNA to see what would happen. Carter placed the slide under the microscope and projected the image onto the screen.

"Sample 019," Carter said loudly, so his voice could be picked up by his recorder. "A mix of the mystery sample and plant DNA, genus _Rosa, _it exhibits…" He trailed off. Had he heard something? Carter clicked off the recorder. He thought he'd heard the creak of his lab door opening, though he was sure he'd locked it. Frowning, he turned, but the door was firmly shut. _Shit… all that talk of death has made me paranoid. _He shook his head and turned his attention back to his work. "It exhibits unusual characteristics, though it lacks the anomaly found in the original sample. Changes include –"

_Tick…tick… _Carter froze. He turned slowly, scanning the darkened lab around him. The door was still shut, but the skin on the back of his neck was crawling, and he _knew _there was something else in the lab. It was no use hiding… whatever was in here knew he was here. "Hello? Is someone there?" Maybe it was just someone snooping around, waiting for him to slip up again.

_Tick… _That had sounded very close. Carter turned toward the sound. He got a glimpse of two spots of crimson light, then something slammed into him with bone-breaking force. He screamed and fell backward onto the table as a massive creature stood over him, its toothy maw hovering just over his face. But instead of biting his face off, it seemed to grin at him, and slowly, deliberately, sank the scythe-like claws of one hand into his chest. The other hand clamped over his mouth, stifling his scream as it slashed downward.

Carter tried to fight back, smashing his fists into the creature's head. But his blows had no effect; he may as well have been hitting a brick wall.

Blackness edged his vision, and he struggled to remain conscious as the creature put its bloody paw to its mouth and begin to lick away the gore. _There's nothing I can do… I'm going to die… I don't want to die! _His hands found the petrie dish full of fungi, and his fingers closed around it. With the last of his strength, he brought it down on the creature's head, in the hopes the breaking glass would hurt it.

What happened next, however, was completely unexpected. The dish didn't break, but the fungi splattered all over the creature's jaw. Immediately, fungus began to sprout out of the fur, and the creature made a noise that was partly a howl, partly a high-pitched human scream. It clawed at the skin, tearing the growths away, then it whirled and ran, still making that horrible noise.

Unconscious tried to claim Carter, but he refused to give in. He didn't want to die… he wouldn't die… He pressed on hand over the gaping wound in his chest; with the other, he groped around for something he knew was still on the table.

The samples… He hadn't tested them on human DNA, but he had a suspicion about what it was from, a suspicion that had been confirmed only moments ago. If he could find the samples… if he could use them in time…

Trembling fingers dragged the test tube rack closer; as his vision continued to dim, he fished through one of his drawers for a laboratory syringe (not having the time to find a hypospray), relying on touch to find it. He found one, popped the cap, then selected one of the test tubes. _Sample 021… Good… _He filled the syringe, spilling half the sample in the process, then jammed the needle into his arm without bothering to make certain there were no air bubbles. He didn't have the time for it. He hit the plunger, an arduous task with his strength waning. But he managed to inject nearly all of it.

And then his legs gave out, and he slipped to the floor. He didn't even have the strength to pull the syringe free from his arm. All he could do was fight to maintain consciousness and pray that the mysterious sample took effect before his life bled away…

The empty test tube rolled off the table, and fell to the floor beside him. Carter stared at it dully, and then something slowly sank in. The tube itself had shattered, but the sample number was still legible. _Wait… Does that say sample 027! No… Not that one… _And then darkness claimed him.

To Be Continued…


	9. The Ancient One Part Three

**Summary: **A 'Misadventure.' A mysterious woman has arrived in New York. Sid feels he's met her somewhere before, but he can't remember where. Who is she, and how is she connected to a series of vicious attacks?

Disclaimer: I own Dr. Monroe and Dr. Carter. Anyone else belongs to Square.

Author's Note: Final chapter, folks! I'm sorry it was put up at the same time as chapter two; thanks to a problem in the computer lab when I tried to upload it earlier, wouldn't accept it, and then the computer couldn't even open it. I thought that the disk had reformatted and that I'd lost it, along with my Christmas fics. I almost cried… Now I need to get to work on the next one to have it up for Christmas, and then… then I promise I'm going to give myself a break! I've been working very hard these past few months. Oh, and I promise that, one day, this series actually will have Phantoms in it. I've just kinda gone off the subject, haven't I?

_**The Ancient One**_

_The Misadventures of Dr. Sid, Aging Werewolf_

_Three – Angel of Death_

She was waiting for him that night, a dark shape sprawled luxuriously across his bed. Hein blinked wearily, glancing at the clock. It was 3 AM; had Alison been here since he'd left her so many hours ago? He stumbled to his bed and was about to turn on the lamp on his nightstand when her hand darted out

She tugged on his hand, and he fell backwards onto his bed. Before he could do anything, she was on top of him, pinning him down. Hein looked up at her face, her pale features visible in the darkness. There was a spot of darkness on her jaw, and he strained to see what it was. In the light that leaked through, the spot looked almost _wet, _with a pale line that looked almost like bone. His imagination must be going overtime… He didn't have time to wonder about it because she said heavily, "I wanted to wait; but I need this," and suddenly her mouth was at his throat. He had the impression of two glowing red spots, and then everything faded to black.

XXX

Dr. Sid didn't get any sleep that night, despite what he'd told Aki. He'd left the radio on, and he spent the night listening to the reports from Atlanta. The situation worsened as the night dragged on, with fewer and fewer survivors being recovered. Of the three million who had lived in Atlanta, only a thousand had been recovered and were being evacuated to New York.

He finally gave up trying to sleep; every time he closed his eyes he saw red eyes, staring into him. Was it a dream, or had he met her? And how was such a thing possible? He remembered returning home as a wolf and finding his wife's body… and returning home as a man and finding someone, a woman, standing over Elizabeth's body, blood streaming down her chin. It had to be a dream inspired by his paranoia of Dr. Monroe.

Or it was a resurfacing memory, one that had been hidden by the same abilities that had swayed the Council with nonsense words.

_Impossible! That was twenty years ago! It couldn't be the same woman! She hasn't changed! It couldn't be…_

There was a knock on his door. If not for his enhanced hearing, he never would have heard it. He glanced at the clock and saw that it was five in the morning. Who would be visiting at this hour? _Or what? _Sid hastily donned his customary lab smock and went to the door, peering through the peephole before opening it. "Corporal Fleming? What are you doing here? And why this early?"

Neil looked exhausted, but there was a look to his eyes that Sid had seen before: a haunted look, as if he could see terrible things whenever he closed his eyes. He'd obviously just gotten back from the Atlanta evacuation – his clothing still bore impressions from his armor – and he looked about ready to collapse. "Coffee?" Dr. Sid asked, and when Neil nodded jerkily, he went into his small to prepare some. Neil followed, and seemed to crumple into one of the chairs around the table.

He wondered why the corporal had come to him. They barely knew each other; he wouldn't come to Sid for comfort, would he? Perhaps he felt he needed someone non-military to listen to him, someone who wouldn't analyze his every action and hold him accountable for them. Sid set a steaming cup of coffee in front of the corporal, and was about to offer him cream or sugar when the corporal picked it up and took a deep swig.

"Thank you," Neil said. "I'm sorry I'm here so early, but… well, I figured no one was getting any sleep tonight, so I took a chance you'd be up. I was running a new search on Dr. Monroe when the alert was called, and when I came back, I found the results."

Sid blinked. He hadn't expected _that _to be the reason Neil had come so early. He admired the younger man's dedication. "And?"

"I was able to find the San Francisco records." At Sid's shocked look, he said, "All barrier cities still active ten years ago were fitted with a sort of data core that stored everything. It was linked to an independent power source so that, if the city falls, the information is still accessible for those who know where to look. It's difficult to hack into, but I worked it out last night and ran a search for anything dealing with Dr. Monroe. And mysterious deaths."

Dr. Sid waited. Whatever the corporal had to say, it had to be important. "There were five deaths in the two months preceding San Francisco's fall. Two of them were confirmed to have been drained of blood. And, once again, I couldn't find any scientific work that Dr. Monroe has done. Doctor… what is she?" There was no longer any doubt in Neil's mind that Dr. Monroe was behind this, and that she was something unnatural.

"I don't know," Dr. Sid admitted.

"Bloodless corpses, mass hypnosis… She almost sounds like a vampire," Neil joked weakly.

_A… vampire? _Sid had a sudden flash of a woman with blood-red hair, blood streaming down her chin, standing over the body of his beloved Elizabeth. That had been twenty years ago, if his memory truly was a memory. Vampires were immortal…

"You were supposed to laugh, Doc," Neil said, the beginnings of alarm on his face. "Vampires don't exist, do they?"

"You're a wererat; is a vampire so hard to believe?" Dr. Sid whispered.

Neil gaped. "You're serious!"

"I think I met her before, twenty years ago. I think she killed my wife. I… I remember her, but I remember something else happening… Vampires are known to be able to alter memories, to play with the mind. It would explain a lot."

"You met her?"

"In Toronto, shortly before… shortly before its fall…" Sid trailed off as something occurred to him. "Toronto, San Francisco, Atlanta… Every city she's been in has fallen after she left. Did they find out the cause of Atlanta's fall?"

"A computer malfunction," Neil said, his voice a whisper.

"She's covering her tracks," Sid said. "When she leaves, her influence starts to fade, so, to keep anyone from figuring out something's wrong, she destroys the evidence. She destroys the city."

Neil opened his mouth soundlessly for a few moments, then recovered. "She can't be a vampire," he said. "I mean, we've all seen her during the day. That wasn't a mass hallucination. And those bodies weren't just drained, they were shredded. Unless she's trying to pin the deaths on us werecreatures, then it doesn't make sense." He twitched. "She wouldn't be trying to pin it on us, would she?"

"I don't know… Legends don't always get it right. Vampires could be immune to daylight for all we know. We have to find a way to destroy her, or New York City will fall next."

Neil pursed his lips thoughtfully. "There're only a few more days until the full moon; maybe we could ambush her then. I mean, she usually stays somewhere for a few years, right? We should have time…"

"_Maybe I'll just take that bastard son of yours."_

"She's already killed," Sid whispered. "In the other cities, she waited awhile before killing, right? So why is she starting now? She isn't here to establish a new home; she's here for General Hein."

"What! What are you talking about? Why? How do you know?" Neil couldn't figure out what to ask.

"_Maybe I'll just take that bastard son of yours." _Dr. Sid couldn't explain. "Think about it. She latched on to him the moment she got here. He wasn't in his office today when he should have been investigating the murder. According to the people I've talked to, the few times he has been seen, he acted like he was in some sort of daze. She wants him, and we might not have those few days until the full moon."

"Should I start sharpening stakes? Collecting vials of holy water? Gather garlic?" Neil wondered.

Dr. Sid felt helpless. "I wish I knew for sure what killed a vampire. For now, I think following legends is our best bet, even though legend was wrong about the sunlight thing. We need to kill her before anything else happens."

There was a knock on Sid's door.

Dr. Sid and Neil exchanged glances. "Were you expecting anyone?" Neil asked.

"Not this early," Sid said. Neil got up and crept to the door. He wasn't armed, but he'd be better equipped than Sid to take on an intruder. Unless it was Dr. Monroe… He peeked through the peephole, then gave Dr. Sid a puzzled look. "I don't know who it is," he said.

Sid got up and took a look, then frowned. He opened the door to reveal Dr. Carter. Before Dr. Sid could react, the young scientist slumped forward, and Neil hurried to catch him. "Dr. Carter? What's wrong?" Sid asked as Carter pushed away from Neil, struggling to remain upright. There was an ashen tone to his golden skin, and his eyes were grey with pain. Neil helped him to the couch.

"What happened?" Sid asked again, as Neil went to the kitchen, presumably to fetch another cup of coffee.

"I was attacked…" he whispered, and Dr. Sid stiffened. _No… _"I'm… all right… it's just a scratch." Carter didn't look all right, and he kept one hand pressed to his abdomen.

"Let me see," Sid said, ignoring Carter's hands as he weakly tried to bat Sid away. Dr. Sid pulled his shirt open, but stopped when he realized his abdomen had been expertly swathed in bandages. Very little blood seeped through. Sid realized he'd probably do more damage undoing the bandage than if he just left it alone. Sid let it slide for now. "What attacked you?" he asked. "Did you see it?"

Dr. Carter was silent for a long moment, and Sid feared at first that he'd lost consciousness. But then he said finally, "This sounds ridiculous, but… I think it was a werewolf." Sid was too startled to notice the intensity of Carter's gaze as he took in the older scientist's reaction. He certainly missed the knowing smile when he turned to Neil, who had returned in time to hear Carter's proclamation.

"A werewolf?" Neil asked. Sid winced; Neil's disbelief sounded far too forced to be believable. "What are you, nuts?"

"I know what I saw," Carter insisted. "And I have proof." He pulled a container out of a pocket and offered it to Sid. The scientist opened the lid, and his eyes widened. Inside was what looked like a hunk of flesh, covered with blood-red fur. And… mushrooms? The course fur certainly looked like it came from a wolf's pelt, and the color was a match for Dr. Monroe's crimson locks.

"Werewolves don't exist," Neil insisted.

"Don't they?" Dr. Carter countered, and suddenly Dr. Sid was aware of the man's keen gaze boring into him. Sid met his eyes, wondering how much the younger man suspected. A moment of searching and he realized the younger man didn't just suspect, he _knew. _Sid closed the container and handed it to Carter.

"How long have you known?" Sid asked quietly, and Neil's eyes widened.

"It was only a suspicion, when I found some curious blood samples in my lab," Dr. Carter said, his eyes narrowed. He didn't explain the circumstances; he didn't need to. "I did some experiments on it, and found your DNA all over it. But I didn't quite believe the anomaly I found was lycanthropy until I was attacked last night. I got a good look at the thing when it wanted to carve out my heart with its claws."

"So…" Neil said, struggling desperately to continue his charade of ignorance, "werewolves really do exist?"

Dr. Sid gave him an annoyed look. "Shut up, Corporal." He turned back to Carter. "We'll discuss this later. For now, I need to know how certain you are that she is a werewolf. The moon wasn't full last night, and the powers she exhibits are…" Sid trailed off as something occurred to him. _Oh my God…_

"It looked like a giant wolf. What else could it be?" Carter sounded frustrated. "If I had known that werewolves could control the Council, I'd have transferred to another city months ago."

"We can't," Sid said quietly. "No werewolf can. She's not a werewolf – or, rather, she's not _just _a werewolf. I think she's a vampire/werewolf hybrid."

XXX

Dr. Monroe pulled away from Hein's neck, one hand brushing the smooth, healed flesh on her cheek. It'd been a long time since she'd been hurt that badly; she hadn't wanted to push Hein this soon, but she'd needed blood to help her regenerate, and after what had happened in the lab, she was wary to go back.

Of course, she was going to have to hunt down that damned scientist if he'd managed to survive. She couldn't have him telling anyone what he'd seen. While she was certain he'd been too mortally wounded to live, there was always the chance… She'd stop by the hospital later to see.. But for now, she had something to attend to…

She drew one sharp fang across her palm, and blood welled from the cut. Hein was still dazed from her feeding, but he'd be able to respond to her orders. "Drink," she commanded, holding her palm out in front of him. He stared at her blankly, then delicately put his lips to her palm. "Yes," she murmured. "I've been waiting a long time to do this, ever since your father spurned me… You'll be just like I am: invulnerable, immortal… and all _mine." _

Hein was oblivious to this. All he knew was that his mistress was pleased with him, and he'd do anything to make her happy.

XXX

"A hybrid?" Both Neil and Dr. Carter asked at the same time.

"Is that possible?" Neil demanded. Dr. Carter just looked intrigued.

"I don't know," Dr. Sid admitted. "But it explains a lot. Such as how she's able to walk around in daylight. And it might explain why she changed without the full moon." And his memories… He remembered seeing her on the verge of a change, after she'd drained the blood of his wife.

"Does that mean she has the immunities of both?" Dr. Carter asked.

Dr. Sid considered. He didn't like the implications of that… "Immune to sunlight because werewolves can walk in it. Silver supposedly hurts vampires as well as werewolves, according to some legends, but I don't exactly have a large stock of silver. By the time we get some… it could be too late."

"Too late for what?" Carter asked.

Sid explained the link between the fall of the barrier cities and Dr. Monroe's presence there. Carter's eyes widened. "Worse, she's trying to get General Hein under her influence. And now that I know she's a hybrid, I know it's possible." He hadn't thought Monroe would be able to do more than control Hein – he'd assumed the curses didn't mix – but now… now he realized that she could be doing more than controlling him. She could be trying to change him… _Like she wanted to change me! _Sid realized, as another flash of memory hit him.

"_Don't touch my son! He's too young! And he doesn't know what he is!" Sid protested weakly._

"_I can wait… I am unimaginably old… I have seen empires rise and fall, seen centuries-old dynasties lost to the ravages of time… I have witnessed the birth of technology, survived the world's deadliest wars…" She stood over him, close enough to smell the blood on her breath. "I have grown lonely in my old age. You are wolf; you can survive the transformation to become my mate. He is only an unchanging half-breed; my gift would kill him."_

"_Leave us alone," Sid whispered._

"_You have no one, now that your wife is dead. Come with me. This city is going to fall, severing the last of your ties with the mortal world. I will give you until midnight to decide. I will wait for you in the city's heart."_

_He didn't even see her go. One moment she was there, and the next, she was gone, giving him a clear view of his wife's drained body. There was a look of terror frozen on her face._

_He'd wanted to bury her, but he couldn't. To delay would give HER time to find him. So the moment the change overcame him, he fled. He left behind the falling city, his wife, and the angel of death who had destroyed an entire city. His one hope was that she'd assume he'd been killed by the Phantoms. And with him dead, his son would be worthless to her even as leverage. He hoped._

And he had been worthless… until Dr. Sid's saliva had made Hein fully a werewolf. And now Dr. Monroe had come to make good on her threat.

"Doctor? Are you all right?" Neil asked.

"She's ancient; I don't know how old, but she's been alive for longer than we can comprehend," Sid said. "If she's lasted this long, I don't know if she _can _be killed."

"I hurt her," Dr. Carter reminded them, holding up the container. "If she can be hurt, then she can be killed."

"How did you do it?" Dr. Sid asked.

"I was working on a fungus colony in the lab, experimenting with a growth accelerator. She… well, she pinned me to the table so she could dissect me, and the only thing within reach was the petrie dish with the colony. I threw it at her… and then the fungi began to grow on her face, and she had to claw it off…" Dr. Carter shrugged weakly. "I know it sounds weird, but…"

"Some mushrooms act as decomposers," Dr. Sid said, his eyes widening. "They thrive in areas where there's a lot of dead vegetation. A vampire is the walking dead. Let me see that piece again," he said, taking the container from Carter. Yes, the flesh looked decayed where the mushrooms were growing. "I think you found a way to defeat a vampire that isn't in any of the old tales."

"Death by mushroom." Neil whistled. "So much for the romanticism of being a vampire."

Sid rolled his eyes. "Can you make another batch of this stuff?" he asked Carter.

"Yeah – in fact, I have more in my lab. What's the plan?" Dr. Carter leaned forward, wincing slightly.

"I'll try to corner Monroe, and then splash it in her face, or something," Sid faltered. It wasn't the best of ideas.

"And what about me?" Neil demanded. "You're not going to leave me out of this, are you? If she messes with Hein, she messes with me."

Carter raised his eyebrows. "Don't ask," Sid muttered. "All right, you and I –"

"And me. I owe the bitch," Carter snarled.

Sid frowned. He wanted to protest that Carter was injured, but he looked better than he had when he came in. And the more people to help, the better.

"All right; the three of us, then. And we'll have to do it tonight. Will the two of you be ready to put the plan into action whenever I give word?" The other two nodded. "All right; I have an idea…"

XXX

"Excuse me," Dr. Monroe gave the nurse on duty her brightest smile, being careful not to flash fang. The nurse smiled in response, without really knowing why. After all, she'd been on duty all night, helping the Atlanta evacuees. The last thing she needed was some scientist barging in and asking nosy questions. Yet, she didn't mind…

"I heard there was another attack last night," Monroe continued. "A scientist named Joseph Carter. Do you know if he survived?"

The nurse wasn't supposed to give out information like this, but she checked anyway. "I'm sorry, Dr. Monroe. We don't have a Joseph Carter on record."

"He died, then," Monroe said sadly. The nurse checked the morgue records.

"No… no Carter listed here."

"What?" Dr. Monroe started, and her hold on the nurse's mind slipped. "He must be… has a John Doe come in? One with a great bloody hole in his chest?"

"Do you know something?" the nurse asked suspiciously. Dr. Monroe grimaced, then tightened her control on the nurse, a bit more forcefully than she should have. The woman's face went suddenly blank.

"Now, check and see if a disemboweled John Doe was brought in this morning, either alive or as a corpse."

The nurse obediently checked the records. "Nothing," she said tonelessly. _Oh, dear… I think I damaged her. Dammit, where is Carter? Did I get his name wrong?_

"Thank you," Dr. Monroe smiled, leaving the nurse to stare off into space. After a while, a line of drool tricked down her chin, but that was the only change in her.

XXX

Neil wasn't sure he wanted to be doing this. Even though his rats assured him that there was only one person in the room, Neil was nervous. What if _she _was in there, hiding? But someone had to warn General Hein to stay away from Dr. Monroe. If he knew what she was, Dr. Sid had reasoned, it might help him fight her hold on him. Neil still had no idea why she was after Hein, or how Sid knew he was her target, but he trusted the older man.

Taking a deep breath, and half expecting to have his throat ripped out when the door opened, Neil rapped his knuckles on the entrance to General Hein's quarters. He calmed slightly when the door didn't immediately open and reveal Dr. Monroe, but when he continued to get no response, he began to worry.

"_Are you sure he's in there?" _Neil asked Jenner, who was sitting by his feet.

"_Black dog in there," _Jenner said. The rat got up and began to pace. _"Leave now?" _the scout pleaded.

"_Go on," _Neil told him, and the rat skittered away. He didn't want any of them near Dr. Monroe, not after Fratley's mysterious disappearance.

Neil glanced around to make sure the corridor was empty, then quickly overrode the lock to the general's room. Neil hurriedly went inside and shut the door behind him.

A glance around the small living room revealed nothing out of the ordinary, until an unusual scent hit him. _Blood._ Neil followed the smell to its source, a dark smear on one of Hein's chairs. Although Neil didn't have enough experience as a lycanthrope to discriminate between the scents of different kinds of blood, he knew the smell of his rats. And Fratley's fading scent was all around the floor under the chair.

Neil gritted his teeth. She'd _killed _one of the creatures under his protection. For that alone, she'd have to pay…

But not now. Now, he had to find Hein. He went into the general's bedroom and stopped dead at the sight that greeted him. Hein was sprawled out on his bed, lying face down. His naturally pale skin looked even whiter than normal, except for a dark blot on his neck… a spot that looked horribly like the smear on Hein's chair.

_We're too late… she's already bitten him! _

XXX

Dr. Sid and Dr. Carter were busy dealing with Problem Number Two: Finding a way to actually use the fungal spores and growth accelerant as a weapon. They'd tried darts, but the moment the spores and chemicals came together, the spores began to grow into mushrooms, and it didn't take long before they were big enough to clog the needles of the darts. Throwing petrie dishes was a waste of dishes, and there was no guarantee enough would splash onto the hybrid to take her down. Besides, Sid wanted to get the mixture _inside _of her, where she wouldn't be able to rip it off as she had the flesh of her cheek. Which meant injecting it, somehow.

"One of us could have a dart gun full of the accelerant, and the other could have one full of spores," Carter said doubtfully.

"We'd both have to hit the same place to make it work. I'm not a good enough aim for that, are you?" Carter shook his head. "Besides, I want all of us armed with the mixture in case… in case she takes down one or more of us." Dr. Sid didn't like to think about that, but it was a real possibility.

Dr. Carter looked grim, but not frightened. He'd already been attacked; he was well aware of what they were facing. Working with the young scientist was fascinating; he was highly intelligent, and listened to Dr. Sid's suggestions even when they contradicted his own. And he was very, very careful not to mention the Halloween incident and Sid's lycanthropy, even though he knew Dr. Sid would confront him about it sooner or later.

The com in Sid's lab bleeped, and Sid answered it. It was Neil, as he'd expected, but the expression on the young corporal's face wasn't expected. He looked… terrified. "What's wrong?" Dr. Sid asked.

"I found General Hein. She's already bitten him," he said tonelessly.

_Shit! _That ruined their plan; they'd been hoping that Hein, away from Monroe's influence, would listen to them and allow them to set up an ambush in his apartment as bait. If he didn't listen, well… they'd tie him up, and set up an ambush in his apartment, after having Neil send a false message from Hein asking to meet her there. Now, though… "How bad is it?"

"He was barely alive," Neil continued in that same monotone. "He's so pale… and he's lost so much blood… I'm at the hospital now. He's getting a transfusion – heh, did you know he and Dr. Ross have the same blood type? He's going to hate finding out she saved his life. The doctors don't understand how he survived such a major blood loss, and they want to know _how _he was injured. I keep telling them I don't know, but they keep pestering me."

This was bad; _very _bad. It meant the vampiric virus was already in Hein's system. While most legends insisted that multiple feedings were required, Dr. Sid wasn't putting much faith in those legends.

"That's not the only thing," Neil continued after a moment. "One of the nurses who was on duty seems to have suffered some sort of brain damage, and no one knows how or why. But another nurse says she saw this woman earlier talking to a redhead asking about a Dr. Carter."

Carter looked up, his face pale. "She's looking for me?"

"You saw her. You _hurt _her. She wanted to know if you had lived to tell anyone. And since she didn't find you at the hospital…" Dr. Sid trailed off as a thought occurred to him. "She's going to come after you," he smiled.

"I don't find that very reassuring," Dr. Carter said, backing away.

"Change of plans, Corporal," Sid told Neil. "Come to the lab this evening." He shut off the com, then turned to Carter. "So tell me, Dr. Carter. How do you feel about being bait?"

XXX

They ended up rigging a dual-chamber dart, with Neil's help. The tech's weapon experience was invaluable in this; if anyone was going to get a successful shot at Monroe, it would be the soldier. The dart was divided down its length, with half containing a fluid with spores, the other containing the accelerant. On impact, both would inject through the needle and immediately begin to multiply.

Their plan was simple: Dr. Carter would pretend to work alone in his lab at night, as he had on so many occasions. Neil and Dr. Sid would wait in the next lab over, with two of Neil's rats to guard in case they fell under Monroe's spell. Neil didn't think their simple minds would fall to her influence, and a rat bite was painful enough to jerk them out of whatever Monroe did to them. Four other rats would hide at different points in the lab complex, watching for Monroe's entrance. The moment one of them saw or scented her, they'd run to alert Neil.

It was the best plan they could come up in such a short time and with so few people. Sid just considered them lucky that he'd been able to find three dart guns – 'borrowed' from the zoo – and about two dozen darts. It took them two hours to fill the darts, and then they had an hour until sunset.

Naturally, of course, that's when everything went wrong.

Their general's unexpected injuries combined with the brutality of the attack on Dr. Murphy made the MP frantic to find whatever had done this. Only the warning of the rats gave the three the time to hide what they were working on before four of the Military Police barged in unannounced.

"Dr. Sid. And Dr. Carter; good, you're both here. We'd like you to come with us." The leader of the MP spoke in a tone that brooked no argument.

"Why?" Dr. Sid challenged.

"You're wanted for questioning; both of you were seen working in the lab area the night of Dr. Murphy's death."

"I didn't see anything," Dr. Sid said firmly. "If I had, I would have reported it."

"Same here," Dr. Carter said.

"We still need you both to come down for questioning." The four soldiers made it very clear that Sid could come willingly, or they could drag the two scientists kicking and screaming. Sid chose the former.

"We'll be back as soon as we can," Dr. Sid told Neil.

Unfortunately, 'soon' was a concept lost on the MP. Desperate to find out who had harmed their general, they grilled Dr. Sid and Dr. Carter mercilessly, often asking the same question three or four times, and glowering when the scientists gave the same answer every time. They questioned Carter first, taking him off into a little room and leaving Sid to fidget. Finally, they sent Carter to wait and questioned Sid. All the while, the hour grew later. _At least Dr. Carter is safe here. And General Hein is in the hospital. Monroe has only attacked when the victim was alone; perhaps she can't maintain control of others when she's feeding, or if those others witness something violent. If either is the case, then both Hein and Carter are safe for now. And hopefully, Neil hid himself somewhere._

Still, he wished they'd hurry. Dr. Sid didn't want to put off killing Dr. Monroe any longer.

After thoroughly quizzing Sid, they put him and Dr. Carter in the same room together. Dr. Sid wondered if they were going to ask the same questions again, or maybe they were going to do something creative and threaten to hurt one of them if the other didn't talk. Sid wouldn't be too upset if Dr. Carter was taught a little lesson.

But there was something strange about the MP who ushered them into the room. When Dr. Sid looked at him questioningly, the man said in a strange monotone, "Dr. Monroe would like to ask you a few questions, too."

Dr. Carter's face went white. Dr. Sid rose to his feet to protest, when _she _entered. Dr. Monroe gave them that sweet smile she used on the Council, but Dr. Sid wasn't falling for it. He stared straight ahead, mentally preparing himself for an assault on his mind.

Dr. Monroe had no interest in formalities, however. "Hello, Sid," she said coolly. "May I assume that my arrival here has jogged your memory?"

"If you mean about Toronto, then yes," he said.

"And you, Dr. Carter, I have no idea how you survived last night, but I can't let you live to tell anyone else what you saw. You understand that, don't you?"

"Yes." Carter's voice was nearly inaudible.

She turned her attention back to Sid. There was a spark in the depths of her dark eyes, then they suddenly seemed to burn a brilliant scarlet. "Do you regret not taking me up on my offer?" she asked him, her voice a purr.

"No," Sid snarled.

"Even though it's your child who suffers? It's so sweet; he doesn't even know, does he?"

Sid clenched his fists. "You will be killed, and then he will-"

"Be saved? Don't tell me you believe everything your read!" she scoffed. "A vampire is dead. If you kill me, that doesn't magically bring him back from the dead. Resurrection isn't possible. Killing me will only relinquish my control over him; it won't free him from the blood lust."

"But you haven't fully changed him yet." Dr. Sid wasn't sure what he could accomplish by keeping her talking. He was only delaying his death. He was under no illusions that he'd be able to escape being trapped in a small room with her.

She smiled, revealing pointed teeth. "You're right; that's one thing vampire lore has correct. I think one more feeding, and he'll be mine forever." Her skin rippled; blood-colored fur began to push its way out of her skin. "And there's nothing you can do to stop me." And then she was wolf, and lunging, not for Sid, as he'd expected, but for Dr. Carter. Carter responded by leaping backwards out of his chair, a surprisingly agile move for an injured man.

Sid threw himself to the floor and rolled under the desk, momentarily out of reach of those slashing claws. Dr. Carter executed another surprising evasion that made Sid wonder, distantly, if perhaps Dr. Monroe had bitten him, after all… But he wasn't going to think about that now. Claws suddenly thrusts themselves under the desk, grazing Sid's ribs. He had to get out of here… He had no idea what to do next, though. The door was locked from the outside… there was no way out…

And then, impossibly, the door opened. "Hey, Doc, you were taking so long I had to come and look for you-" came Neil's familiar voice.

"Get out of here!" Dr. Sid called from under the desk. He hadn't seen Monroe yet, because the desk was between them. He still had time to run… Monroe rose to her hind feet, grinning wolfishly at Neil. The corporal could only stare in horror as she sprang over the desk, leaping towards him… Neil threw up his hands to shield himself… Claws raked his chest and he fell backwards… And then the screaming began…

But it wasn't Neil who was screaming. Sid peeked out from under the desk to see Neil rolling out of the way of Dr. Monroe's flashing form. He grinned at the two scientists and held up his hands, revealing the two darts he'd been holding that had injected themselves into her on impact.

Sid and Carter came around the desk, cautiously, as Neil took two more of t he darts from his pocket and, with lycanthropic speed, jammed one into her throat and the other into her heart. Monroe's screams became a woman's as she changed back, and she glared murderously at the three of them as mushrooms sprang up around the four injection points, reproducing with surprising speed and spreading across her neck, chest, arms… The MP arrived just in time to see her body completely deteriorate, leaving behind only a pile of mushrooms.

"Cool," Carter commented, grinning.

The four Military Police who had joined them stared stupidly for a moment as they tried to grasp what they had just seen, then one of them finally asked, "What the hell just happened?"

XXX

Their wounds had mostly healed by the time Neil and Dr. Sid got to the infirmary, but they still let the medical doctors stitch up the deepest ones. When they were left alone, Sid asked Neil what had happened.

"When you didn't return right away, I had a couple of my rats keep an eye on you. They warned me that Monroe was coming after you. I knew I wouldn't be able to bring a dart gun into the interrogation area without getting held up, so I grabbed as many of the darts as I could and came after you, hoping I could get close enough to actually use them."

"Well, thank you, Corporal," Sid said gratefully.

"No problem. Of course, I'm adding this to your bill for services rendered," Neil said cheerfully. Then his humor faded. "What's going on with the general?"

"I don't know. He'll live, thanks to the transfusion, but… Something Dr. Monroe said is bothering me. She said you don't cure vampires by killing the one that made them, because you can't bring the dead back to life. I'm worried that whatever effects this has on him, they may be permanent." Sid sighed. They'd taken care of one monster, but now they had many more problems to take care of, such as explaining what had happened to Monroe, and finding out if Carter really had been bitten – as well as taking care of any other problems involving the young scientist. "I think our problems are only just beginning," Sid said dully.

"I was afraid you'd say that," Neil sighed. "Just once, I'd like something to be easy!"

The End.

Stay tuned for the next 'Misadventure,' the holiday tale "Old-Fashioned Christmas" which will, hopefully, actually be ready by Christmas. My holiday track record hasn't been all that great these past few years, so don't hold your breath. If it comes out late, try to hold on to your Christmas spirit until then…


	10. Old Wives' Tales

**Summary: **A 'misadventure.' Infuriated by the lack of werewolf related Halloween decor, Sid decides to prove just how scary a werewolf can really be.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the TSW characters involved here; Square does.

Author's Note: This particular story actually goes before _Once Upon a Midnight Dreary _in sequence. I'll work on completing _Old-Fashioned Christmas _later, as it gets closer to the actual holiday. This story is lighter in tone than my recent 'Misadventures,' which is part of my motivation for placing it before _Dreary _in continuity. This story was inspired by how I felt last Halloween looking through the decorations and finding almost nothing werewolf related. I don't get it… how are black cats or rats or SpongeBob SquarePants scarier than a huge, vicious monster that can tear you to shreds?

_**Old Wives' Tales**_

_The Misadventures of Dr. Sid, Aging Werewolf_

Row after row of faces leered down at him with empty eye sockets and slashes of mouths that were contorted into screams of pain or fanged snarls. The frozen faces dangling from their metal hooks were meant to be creepy, or, at the very least, disconcerting, but they completely failed at their task – when it came to Dr. Sid, at any rate. To one that actually was a _real_ monster, the molded plastic travesties were… pathetic.

Vampires, zombies, bolt-necked Frankenstein monsters, killers from movies that no longer existed on celluloid and were gradually vanishing from memory were all represented in latex form. And yet, one monster was strangely absent from the line-up… where were the werewolves? Dr. Sid strode down the aisle, ignoring the giggling children gathered around costumes based on the latest cartoon fad as he searched for the monster closest to his heart. And finally, he found _one_.

Either that, or it was a representation of some guy who'd let his side-burns grow out of control. The mask tagged with the label 'werewolf' was basically human in shape, except for tufts of hair sprouting from its cheek and jaw bones. A Neanderthal brow hung low over the muzzle-less face, with teeth that gave the mouth an overbite. Anything that tried to eat with those teeth would find itself slicing up its own lips, Dr. Sid thought with disgust.

Dr. Sid plucked the fur-faced mask from its hook and glowered down at the snarling visage. "How can they call this a werewolf?" he asked bitterly. "I've seen unshaven soldiers who looked like this, and they were far more frightening." Disgustedly, he put it back on the shelf. Aki came up behind him, startling him. He'd almost forgotten the young woman was there.

"What's wrong with it? I think it's scary," Aki said, taking up the mask he'd been examining. "Look at the teeth, all sharp and bloody."

"I just don't like it. It doesn't even _look _like a wolf!" He crossed his thin arms irritably. Aki looked puzzled by his reaction; after all, why should he be so vehement about this particular mask? There was no good, _plausible_ reason… "I don't like it," he repeated.

"Maybe it's just hair envy?" Aki asked, grinning.

Dr. Sid ran his hand along his balding pate and scowled. Maybe she had something there; his own lupine form was somewhat lacking in fur. But still… werewolves did _not _look like men suffering from excess testosterone!

"Why did we come here, anyway?" Dr. Sid griped. "I could be in the lab right now, doing…" he trailed off. He wasn't currently running any experiments beyond the ongoing search for the next spirit. "Something," he finished. He didn't see why Aki had dragged him along on this little shopping excursion; she'd said he needed to get out of the lab for awhile and had closed her ears to his protests all the way to the department store. Aki was built like a twig; how the hell had she found the strength to force a lycanthrope somewhere against his will?

"I'm looking for pantyhose, actually," Aki said. "Eli – er, Major Elliot – is going to a _Rocky Horror Picture Show _party, and he has a run in one of his stockings. He needs a new pair by tomorrow." She grinned, totally oblivious of the fact that Dr. Sid was on to their secret relationship. "He was too embarrassed to shop for it himself, so he asked me, since I'm a woman."

_Since you're his lover, you mean, _Dr. Sid thought bitterly. _Wait… The Rocky Horror Picture Show? Major Elliot is dressing up like…_ Desperately, Dr. Sid looked around for something to use to gouge out his brain – it was the only way he'd be able to rid his mind of the horrible, awful image that had taken form there. "I'm going to go look for some," Aki said, unaware of her mentor's impending descent into madness. "Want to meet up at the café?"

Dr. Sid temporarily managed to quell the image long enough to form a coherent answer. "All right." If she was going to just abandon him at the first possible moment, why had she even bothered to bring him? He shook his head and turned back to the rows of disembodied faces. He spent ten minutes glowering fiercely at the assembled menagerie of horror, with no effect other than to ward off a puzzled salesman. Finally, disgusted, he stalked off, turning in to the next row.

Which proved to be even worse. This row had been dedicated to Halloween décor: phony skeletons hung suspended over shelves of skulls; false tombstones sat atop green shelf paper, covered with realistic cobwebbing and not-so-realistic spiders; green-skinned witches posed, grinning, with wide-eyed black cats; fake rats and crows perched amongst twisted wire trees with faces wrought in their trunks; vampires, mummies, and Frankenstein monsters gamboled about in paper, plastic, and resin form… Everywhere, the staples of the holiday were present in some way, shape, or form… with one exception.

There were no werewolves _anywhere. _

This was an outrage, Dr. Sid decided. Legends of werewolves had been around for centuries; they were as old as the tales of vampires and witches, _much _older than Freddy Krueger or Jason – or even Frankenstein's monster. The threat of werewolves had kept superstitious villagers indoors at night, had caused neighbor to turn on neighbor, had resulted in torture, and even death. They had ever right to be represented here!

A part of Dr. Sid wondered why he was getting worked up over something so worthless; after all, wasn't the world being besieged by an infinitely worse threat than a few people who turned hairy every month? The Phantoms weren't represented amongst the costumes – that would have been the height of bad taste. Still, though… _We deserve respect, dammit!_

"Sir, is everything all right?"

Dr. Sid started. He hadn't even sensed the presence of the young salesman hovering at his elbow – he really was slipping in his old age. The salesman was watching him with a frown, and Dr. Sid realized he hadn't come over to assist; he was worried he was dealing with an old man lost in the grips of senility. "Everything's fine," Dr. Sid lied. "I'm just… looking."

"You were… _growling _at the rubber rat over there," the salesman said.

Dr. Sid blinked. "Oh," he said faintly, unsure of how to reply.

"Is there anything I can help you with, sir?" the salesman asked, relaxing now that he was certain this old man was at least partly in control of his mental facilities.

"I was wondering why there aren't any werewolf decorations," Dr. Sid said, trying to keep his voice pleasant.

"Er… werewolves?" the salesman looked blank for a moment.

"You know," Dr. Sid said, exasperated. "Part wolf, part human, big teeth, thirst for blood."

"I know what a werewolf is," the salesman said patiently. "We just don't get many requests for them. Guess they're not scary enough, you know? Now, if you want frightening, we have a nice line of vampire-related decorations over here-"

Dr. Sid didn't know what had compelled him to act as he did; perhaps he really was losing his mind, after all. Next thing he knew, he was pinning the salesman to the rack behind him, into the embrace of a frighteningly real hanging skeleton. The arms seemed to close around the startled man as Dr. Sid moved in, his face bare inches from the younger man's. "Not scary enough?" he said, his voice dropping into a low growl. "How dare you… They're worthy of your respect, too! They're something to be feared, and yet, they have less representation than some square yellow sponge that hasn't been on TV for more than fifty years!"

"Are you _crazy? _What's _wrong _with you? Why would it even matter?" the youth yelped. "They're just old wives' tales! It's not like they're going to get pissed off by under-representation and sue us!"

Now there was a thought… Dr. Sid discarded it immediately. There was no way he could find a lawyer who'd represent him. Not after this little public display…

"Excuse me, is there a problem?"

Dr. Sid turned and saw two more salespeople watching him with inscrutable expressions. One of them was big enough to spend his time moonlighting as a bouncer. Dr. Sid turned back to the pinned salesman, and realized with some surprise that his hands were curled into claws, dangerously close to his victim's throat. _This can't look good… _He pulled back, offering his hand to the salesman. The youth looked at the proffered hand and tried to back away, knocking merchandise off the shelf in his haste. Fortunately, it was all rubber or plastic, and nothing was damaged in the process.

"I'm afraid we're going to have to ask you to leave," the big guy said in a tone that brooked no argument.

Dr. Sid tried anyway. "It wasn't what it looked like," he began.

"Now," the big guy said, his meaty fist closing over Dr. Sid's shoulder, and he began to forcibly escort the scientist out. He didn't release his grip until they were at the double doors, and Dr. Sid walked through them with his head up, not bothering to look back. He wanted to keep as much of his dignity as he could…

Unfortunately, that wasn't going to be possible. The story of the crazy old man with the werewolf fetish must have spread like wildfire.

"I can't believe you got kicked out of a department store," Aki said, her tone bemused, when she joined him at the café some twenty minutes later. From the look on her face, Dr. Sid guessed she was wondering at his state of mind, wondering if senility had finally hit after all these years. Dr. Sid was kind of wondering that himself. He decided to blame Aki and the revolting image of Major Elliot in pantyhose for driving him over the edge. _Ugh, and I almost had that damned thought out of my head! _"Are you all right?"

Dr. Sid smiled thinly. "I'm just a little stressed out," he said. "I'm sure a nice, relaxing evening will help clear my head.

Aki pursed her lips. "You won't get much relaxing tonight, I'm afraid," she said. "The big USMF costume party is tonight, remember?" Dr. Sid stared at her blankly. _Costume party? I don't remember agreeing to go to any party! Besides, Halloween is still two days away. _And he didn't have any excuse to get out of it – the first night of the full moon was tomorrow, so he didn't need to conceal himself in his room. Still, maybe there was some way he could get out of this…

"Didn't I tell you about it? You're going, too. The Council is attending, and they _expect _you to be there." Aki grinned widely. "So I got you this, since it seemed to horrify you so much." She fished around in the bag and produced a familiar hair-and-plastic travesty.

Dr. Sid rolled his eyes. Aki had bought him the werewolf mask.

XXX

The party was every bit as horrible as Dr. Sid had feared it would be. He'd come with great reluctance, only giving in because Aki threatened to badger him all night if he didn't go. He'd even agreed to wear the atrocious mask, even though the strong scent of the latex was overpowering to his lycanthropic senses, which were enhanced this close to the full moon. He'd even let Aki put tears in one of his scientific smocks, as if he'd transformed while wearing it, though he'd threatened that she'd have to replace it. She'd then given him a push in the right direction before leaving to get changed herself. She'd said it was because she wanted to surprise him, but he suspected it was because she didn't want him to be able to recognize her in costume when she started fawning over Major Elliot in public.

Maybe it was for the best; it had taking him long enough to expunge the earlier image from his mind; he didn't need new ones to take its place.

So instead, he found a seat in the corner of the lavishly-decorated convention center that had been commandeered by the USMF for their use; fortunately, it was spacious enough that he could conceivably avoid Aki and her 'secret' beau, and maybe anyone else who came who knew him. Unfortunately, it was inevitable that the raucous party would spill over into his little corner of solitude, and he was forced to evacuate when two drunks, who Dr. Sid strongly suspected were Captain Gray Edwards and Sergeant Ryan Whittaker under their pirate and knight costumes, began hurling candy at each other, and one of them took shelter behind Dr. Sid's seat. To get out of the line of fire, Dr. Sid crossed to the opposite end of the center, only to run in to Councilwoman Hee.

This was a Very Bad Thing, since Hee had chosen to come as a Medieval wench, complete with low-cut dress. And she wasn't any more sober than the two soldiers across the room who were now lobbing fake jack-o-lanterns at each other. She gave a burbling laugh when she saw his masked face and threw herself in his arms. "Does the beast want to ravage the beauty?" she cooed. Councilman Drake, who'd been standing behind her, looked ill at the thought. At least the lucky bastard wasn't getting an unobstructed view down the front of Hee's dress.

_At this moment, I would give _anything_ for one of those memory-eraser machines the military is rumored to have, _Dr. Sid thought. This was going to haunt him for a _long _time to come. He dropped Hee, and she fell to the floor with a giggle. Dr. Sid rushed off as fast as his old joints would allow.

He finally found somewhere that could be considered safe, in an empty coffin leaning against the wall. He settled into it, kicking out the plastic bones that cluttered the bottom before leaning back and crossing his arms over his chest. _The grave's a fine and private place, _Dr. Sid thought whimsically, recalling his favorite line from Andrew Marvell's 'To His Coy Mistress.' _But none, I think, do there embrace. Odd how Halloween always seems to make a poet out of me. Or maybe it's the drinks. I'd better stop, or I'll be spouting Poe next. _He ignored his own advice and lifted the chin of his mask to take a sip of his drink.

He examined the gathered guests and the décor broodingly. The costumes here were better than those in the department store; some of the officers made enough to rent good costumes, rather than just purchase cheap ones. He saw witches and warlocks, vampires and demons, a mummy made of toilet paper that was rapidly unraveling (he strongly suspected that this one was Corporal Neil Fleming, from the way the tag team of Edwards and Whittaker proceeded to pelt him with candy corn), knights, princesses, dragons, pirates… And Aki, in a scandalously skimpy harem girl costume next to a sheik who could only be Major Elliot, judging from the way she was pawing him. _Oh, Aki… _Dr. Sid buried his face in his hands. _She's supposed to conceal the chest plate… in that outfit, everyone's going to see it by the end of the night._

He gulped down the rest of his drink, hoping for blissful oblivion and not even getting a minor buzz. Sometimes, the werewolf ability to metabolize alcohol so fast really _sucked. _Instead, he focused on the other thing that had been bothering him all evening.

Every monster was represented by at least some soldier or official on the floor, often in triplicate – or more, in some instances. But Dr. Sid was the only one dressed as a werewolf. There were two people dressed as _dogs, _but where were the werewolves? And why was this bothering him so much now, when he hadn't really thought about it for years? And then, he mentally slapped himself. _It's the holiday, _he realized. Halloween was the day after tomorrow, but it fell on the night of a full moon, and whenever this happened, it had an effect on him, infusing him with more energy than he'd felt in years and stirring emotions in him that normally lay dormant, like anger, and bloodlust… not that he was in any condition to slake his bloodlust any longer, not with his worn claws and broken teeth, and bones that creaked with every sudden movement.

He suddenly realized that he was going to have to do something, find some outlet for these energies, because if he was ready to tear out a salesman's throat for not believing in werewolves, then Dr. Sid was going to have a difficult time at the upcoming Council meeting on Halloween itself. Tearing out General Hein's throat because the younger man called Dr. Sid crazy wouldn't exactly help him dissuade the Council of that notion… Tomorrow night, he'd have to go out and find something harmless enough that it would guarantee no one would be hurt, but destructive enough to satisfy his urges. He needed to find something to focus on. Something like… the department store, with its lack of werewolf-related decorations because they weren't 'scary' enough.

Dr. Sid smiled. Maybe tomorrow night, he'd show them just how scary an 'old wives' tale' could be…

XXX

"You're sending me _where?" _Aki wailed the next morning, when Dr. Sid cornered her inside her apartment.

"Moscow," Dr. Sid said reasonably. "The scanners picked up something last night that could be the third spirit in a game preserve just outside the city. All you have to do is go and pick it up – and, of course, explain to the Moscow Council _why _you're taking one of their precious animals – and bring it back here. Simple." Yeah, right… Talking a Council into parting with something as rare as whatever was held in the game preserve would be more difficult than squeezing scientific funding out of General Hein. She'd be gone for _days… _Dr. Sid rubbed his palms together in delight. He'd finally get some piece and quiet, without having to worry about unholy liaisons in his lab disrupting his experiments.

Even better, she wouldn't be able to get in his way when he went out for his own kind of fun tonight…

"Can't it wait? Sid, there's another party tonight, and I promised Eli – er, I promised that I'd go."

"Aki, what's more important? A Halloween party, or the fate of the planet?" Dr. Sid asked.

It took her longer to answer than he would have expected. Odd; the question seemed like it should have been a no-brainer. "The planet," Aki finally said grudgingly.

"All right, then. I've already seen to the _Black Boa; _it's ready to leave whenever you are." He gave her a push in the right direction, and Aki got moving, grumbling the entire way. Dr. Sid sighed; she might have been cooperating now, but he had the feeling it would be awhile before she actually left. She'd probably have to give Elliot a tearful good bye, which would probably develop into something more intimate – _Ack! Why can't I get these stupid images out of my head? _Oh, yes… Dr. Sid was certain he was going to need some serious therapy after this.

Still, Dr. Sid found himself whistling on the way to his laboratory. He'd have a few days without Aki dragging him along on shopping trips or to parties or dropping in on him unexpectedly to make certain he hadn't up and died of old age while she wasn't looking… or breaking in to his apartment to 'borrow' things while he was gone… or to perform unspeakable acts on his bed while he was gone…

Really, why did he keep the girl around? Sure, she had unexpected moments of brilliance, but still… Maybe he should eat her. He grinned at the thought, unlikely as it was, and then a voice snarled, "What's so funny, old man?"

Dr. Sid blinked and came back to reality. A dark shape came into focus, looking for all the world like a vampire from the previous night's party, though this was how General Hein normally looked. No, he realized after a moment, this _wasn't _normal; Hein's face was paler than normal – something Dr. Sid wouldn't have thought possible – and his dark hair was mussed without the gel to sculpt it into its normal backswept appearance. The scowl, however, was normal for the younger man. Dr. Sid said, "Excuse me?"

The general's icy eyes narrowed, looking for any sign that he was being mocked. Finding none, his jaw tightened, and rather than explaining his paranoia, he turned on his heel and strode off, leaving Dr. Sid to watch after him, baffled. Then he shrugged and proceeded towards his lab. General Hein was normally unfriendly by nature, but the outright anger that had radiated off of him was unusual. It was almost like…

Like…

Like the anger that had made Dr. Sid nearly take off the head of a poor innocent salesman. Dr. Sid turned to look back in the direction Hein had stalked off in, frowning. The previous month, a bottle of Dr. Sid's highly infectious saliva had been swiped from his bathroom, and later that night, he'd encountered a very confused young werewolf, who'd thought he was merely drunk on what he'd assumed was foul-tasting alcohol. The truth had only dawned on him _after_ he'd eaten several rats and some garbage, and he hadn't been too happy even when Dr. Sid had assured him the curse was only temporary, and would vanish once the saliva had been evacuated from his body. Since the thief had proven to be Aki, and the werewolf had been male, Dr. Sid had assumed that the temporary werewolf had been Major Elliot. But Elliot had had no memory of the night, and had later proven to have an alibi for his whereabouts, meaning he _hadn't _been the werewolf – someone else had.

Such as, maybe, his superior. A man who wasn't quite himself, who was showing signs of being affected by the upcoming Halloween moon. _Shit… _If the saliva had somehow entered his bloodstream, then the curse would have become permanent. And for Hein, it might not even have taken much of the saliva – though he didn't know it, the blood of a werewolf, a gift from his _real _father, coursed through his veins, even though he'd lacked the shape-shifting gene. Until now.

Great. Just great. General Hein was dangerous enough as a man. If he was now a werewolf, then he was going to make Dr. Sid's life a living hell. He sighed and ran his fingers through what was left of his hair. _I could be wrong. I hope I'm wrong. There's no proof that he's a werewolf! I'm just paranoid because of the season. Yeah, that's it. The general is _always _a pain in the ass; this is nothing new. _

_It looks like I'm going to have to make a stop at his quarters tonight just to make sure. _There was a place he didn't want to visit again. He'd already had to run out of Hein's room nude once; it had seriously turned him off towards further visits.

He continued onward, grumbling under his breath all the while. It wasn't until he was almost to his lab that he became aware of something that had been hovering at the edges of his senses, a peculiar, indefinable feeling. He paused, glancing around the empty corridor, but that could have set off his senses like that. In fact, there was nothing at all, not even the sounds of the rats in the walls, as if they were giving this corridor wide berth. It was like the dead silence when a forest holds its breath as a predator passes through – but Dr. Sid had never had that effect before.

Then he shrugged. It was probably nothing more than the extra sensitivity brought on by the holiday. For all he knew, his lab _always _had this aura of strangeness, and maybe it just wasn't a busy time of day for rats. Whatever it was, it probably didn't concern him…

XXX

The big Halloween party of the previous night had been the 'official' celebration, but there were sure to be several more over the next two days, many of them likely wilder than the official function – such as the aforementioned Rocky Horror party. Dr. Sid had learned the location of it so he could make certain to stay as far from it as possible – though the people he'd asked had looked at him oddly, as if they thought he'd wanted to attend.

Uck. There was an image that rivaled the one of a scantily-clad Major Elliot.

But he wouldn't concern himself with the thought any longer; he intended to take advantage of the glut of parties so he could carry out a long-forgotten Halloween tradition – the destruction of property. The USMF building, the streets, and the department store would all be emptier than usually, so long as he avoided the set trick-or-treating routes. So he waited in his apartment for the change to come, for once secure in the knowledge that Aki wasn't going to barge in on him and discover his secret.

The air around him felt charged with electricity as change touched the edge of his skin, and Dr. Sid closed his eyes as his humanity dropped away in a rush. He dropped to all fours as the change raged through him, racing towards completion at twice its normal speed. There was pain, but it quickly faded, taking with it most of the aches and pains that had settled into his age-worn human body. He felt so… invigorated. He opened his eyes, half expecting to see a lithe, muscular body covered with the sleek, dusky grey fur of his youth. He was disappointed to see that he was still the same old wolf; he just _felt _young and powerful.

_Full moons need to fall on Halloween more often_, he thought. He grinned, tongue lolling. No sense wasting any more time when he felt like this. He trotted forward, reveling in how his joints didn't ache, didn't even _creak_. He touched his paw to the touchpad and the door opened before him, and Sid the werewolf entered the night.

It was a night of sounds – tinny screams emitting from radios, maniacal laughter, ghostly moans, howls (plain old wolf howls, not werewolf howls, and had the people who recorded or listened to the wolf song understood, they'd have realized it was the lupine version of 'screw you.') It pounded at Sid's ears, and he flattened them to his skull. One good thing about the parties; the sound would make them very easy to avoid.

He crept down the halls, keeping to the shadows until he could exit the USMF complex. It wasn't until he'd slipped out through a delivery entrance that he remembered he'd been intending to check on General Hein. It was too late now; Sid wasn't turning back. Maybe on the way back…

Trick-or-treaters stuck to routes planned out by the Council, unlike when Sid was a child. It was a safety measure; having that many children out in the open at once could be a disaster in case of a barrier breech. It would have been difficult to round them up and escort them in an orderly fashion to escape pods (not that there was _anything _orderly about a Phantom incursion.) So the Council figured that if the children stayed within the bounds they set, with USMF soldiers monitoring them, it would make evacuation easier. It made the holiday seem much tamer, in Sid's eyes. It also bothered him that they were trick-or-treating tonight instead of on Halloween itself, just because Halloween was on a Sunday.

But in this case, it worked to his advantage. Sid trotted along, taking a backway that no children would traverse – unless one escaped its chaperone – and made it to the department store unobserved. And totally out of breath; the store was further than he remembered it being, and he just didn't have the endurance he used to, even with the boost the holiday was giving him. _That's it… next time, I'm stealing a vehicle._

He'd timed his raid for just before the department store closed; after all, he wouldn't be able to make his point if there was no one there to appreciate what he was doing. He didn't want credit for any vandalism to go to teenagers. He wanted the employees to _know _that werewolves were something to fear – all without revealing they really existed, of course. His plan was to slip in while the doors were still open, conceal himself until the store closed, then terrorize the employees who stayed after hours. And it went without a hitch – this late, there weren't many customers, and Sid was able to pass through the doors unnoticed, and he immediately skittered across the waxed linoleum – once, falling to his rump in an unceremonious tumble when the slick surfaced proved to be too much – and concealed himself in the narrow gap created by a back-to-back rack. The dust made his eyes water, and the cobwebs clinging to his ears drove him nuts, but he resolved to wait patiently for his moment to strike.

The announcement came that the store was closing in fifteen minutes, waking Sid from the light doze he'd slipped into. He cautiously stood, careful not to scrape his spine against the metal supports of the shelf, and slunk close enough to the opening that he could peek out, but not close enough to be seen. Things began to die down, and the final announcement came, shooing out the last of the customers, leaving the employees to clean up and restock before leaving for the night. Sid grinned, his tongue lolling in pleasure. It was perfect…

When he was certain that there weren't any employees near his current location, Sid trotted out, the tick of his claws on the floor carrying in the nearly empty store. _Let the spookfest begin, _he thought, throwing back his head and letting loose a quavering, but passable, howl.

The inane chatter that had been coming from three rows over stopped. Sid heard someone ask, "Did you leave the Halloween sound effects recording on?" Another answered in the negative, and the first voice continued, "Then what the hell was that?"

"Probably some teenage punks snuck in," another voice said disgustedly. "Go check it out."

This was met with protest, but after another minute, Sid's ears picked up the sound of two sets of footsteps approaching. Sid crept around to the next aisle and howled again, this time managing a strong, clear sound like that which he'd produced in his youth. He punctuated this with a couple of ferocious snarls that certainly impressed him. He hoped the two investigators found the sound equally sinister.

It certainly gave them pause. "That didn't sound like a kid; more like an animal."

There was a succession of gurgling noises, a mockery of his own growl. "See? I can make noises too," the other said, disgusted. Sid wanted to bite him for the insulting noises but he restrained himself. He was here to have _fun,_ dammit,and he'd have fun if it killed him. Sid trotted away, pausing beside a display of plastic jack-o-lanterns piled in a pyramid. Oh, so casually, he batted at the corner pumpkin, sending the rest of them tumbling downward. Sid laughed silently, splattering the ever-present drool across one angry-faced jack-o-lantern.

"What the…?" a voice wailed. "It took _forever _to get those things to stay in place! They won't let anyone leave until the stupid things are restacked!"

Sid ducked into the row of Halloween décor and ducked behind a large foam tombstone just in time to see his angry pursuers enter the aisle. "Come out, whoever you are!" one of the men demanded. "If you do, we won't call the cops." The passed by Sid's hiding spot, and Sid was pleased with his talent for hiding. Until it occurred to him that maybe they hadn't noticed him because he bore a striking resemblance to the scattered plastic bones decorating the cemetery. Sid slunk out, pausing only to mark the largest headstone as his territory.

A clump of the fake webbing stuck to his ear, and Sid shook it off. But it clung persistently, and Sid let it be. He followed after the two salespeople, careful not to let his nubby claws scrape the floor. He caught up quickly and stayed close behind them. His stealth was all for naught; between yelling for the intruder to come out, the two had begun arguing over who would re-stack the pumpkins, and wouldn't have heard if Sid had driven up on a Harley. He continued shadowing them for several minutes, then decided he had enough and howled.

The two jumped and whirled around, but Sid had already taken shelter behind a stack of boxes – which he bumped with his shoulder and sent toppling, using the distraction to take cover.

"What the hell are you two doing?" the irritated voice from before came upon the two hapless employees. "If you broke anything, it's coming out of your paychecks!"

"We didn't-" one of the victims protested.

"The intruder-" the other tried.

"Yes, the intruder. Did you find him?"

"No," the two searchers said in unison.

"Idiots," the third person, presumably a supervisor or manager from his pompous attitude, said with exasperation. Sid was tempted to just let them take the heat for his actions – but that would defeat his purpose. Sid had taken shelter behind a stack of boxes on a lower shelf, and began to travel along the shelf, knocking off boxes as he went.

"There he is!" one of the searchers yelled. Sid took that as his cue to take his leave of the shelf, permitting them a glimpse of his fleeting form before dodging into the gap between two shelves, traveling along its length to come out the other end. He howled, letting them know where he was, then turned and ran. He glanced back once to see how they were reacting, and saw they'd been joined by three more employees.

Still grinning, he returned his gaze to the open space in front of him… and realized too late that he'd crossed the space faster than he'd thought, and had, in fact, run out of space. A candy rack loomed up before him, and Sid tried to turn before he hit. He would have been successful… if the slick floor hadn't made his feet slip out from under him and momentum sent him careening into the candy stand. He hit it with a yelp, and the shelf teetered, then fell forward, showering him with chocolate before landing on top of him.

Sid lay stunned for several moments, his only movement an absent swipe of his tongue to clear away a piece of chocolate that was smushed to his muzzle. It finally occurred to him that it might be in his best interest to get out of there, and Sid began to painstakingly extract himself from the mangled shelf. More candy was dislodged from the shelf, helping him discover new bumps and bruises. His left real leg hurt when he put weight on it, but he didn't think he was seriously injured.

The only thing that had taken mortal injury was his pride. Covered in smears of chocolate, with pieces of candy corn stuck in the goop like a bizarre tar-and-feathering ritual gone wrong, Sid began to limp away. _Things can't _possibly _get worse, _he thought bitterly.

Naturally, of course, Something heard his thoughts and decided to prove him wrong. An employee had heard his crash and come upon him faster than he'd expected. The expression on the man's face when he saw an aged, toothless old cur covered in candy didn't inspire fear. It didn't even make the man yell in anger upon seeing the mess Sid had made.

Instead, he threw back his head and laughed.

And took a photo with the digital camera he'd grabbed from the rack.

Sid began to run, ignoring the pain in his leg in the effort to put distance between himself and the camera. _Idiot! _he snarled to himself. Not only had he let himself be seen – he'd been _photographed! _In all his years as a lycanthrope, no one had ever taken a picture of him. And, now…

On the bright side, no one would ever think a candy-coated canine was a werewolf.

Footsteps intruded upon his gloom, and Sid looked up to see several more sales reps joining the first, who was gesticulating wildly and pointing in his direction. It was time to make tracks... He poised for flight… but his rear feet, still coated with a layer of chocolate that ruined his grip, refused to find purchase on the floor and his hindquarters went to one side, his front feet to the other. He thought he heard laughter as he gathered his feet up under him and began to sprint away as quickly as the slick floor allowed.

He managed to make it to the costume aisle without incident, but the moment he passed beneath the foam stone archway that led to the aisle, he knew he was in trouble. He just had time to glimpse the mop bucket set to the side and the wet floor before his feet went in every direction and he fell to his belly, spinning slowly and coming to a stop when his rear thudded into the lower rack. Something was dislodged from its hook and fell onto his head, and the familiar odor of latex filled his nose, making him sneeze.

Sid shook, and the mask slipped off to fall at his feet, leering up at him. He stared when he realized what it was. It was a werewolf mask, the duplicate of the one Aki had bought him. It was the final indignity, and Sid finally decided that he wasn't going to accomplish anything here tonight. So he made his escape with what remained of his shredded dignity and crawled off to his only refuge to lick his wounds figuratively – and literally – where no one would find him: his laboratory.

XXX

The moment he entered the lab, however, a strong feeling of _wrongness _washed over him, and it took a moment for Sid to figure out why his hackles were rising.

Someone – or some_thing _– had been in his lab. Glittering fragments of glass covered the floor and pools of unidentifiable chemicals, the former contents of the beakers and vials and now mixed beyond recognition, gave the air a sharp, acrid odor. His ears flattened and he drew back his muzzle in a snarl. He took a cautious step forward, not wanting to risk stepping in anything dangerous. Glass he could handle; he had a healing factor, after all. It was the chemicals that worried him; he didn't know what they had combined together to form, and if a toxin entered his blood stream, it would be much more difficult to fight off. He nearly lost his balance, however, when a soft fluttering sound came from somewhere nearby, and he froze. His nose insisted there was nothing else alive in the lab with him, yet, _something _had made that noise. _Probably just the rats in the walls, _he told himself. Except that he couldn't smell any rats…

Dawn was too close at hand for him to discover the truth now, but the following night, Halloween night, Sid would find the interloper who had _dared_ violate his territory… and kill them.

The End

For those of you who care about what happens next with the 'mysterious presence' in the labs, read _Once Upon a Midnight Dreary_, which immediately follows this. I don't suggest you read the version here on however; the story made liberal use of the poem 'The Raven' by Edgar Allen Poe, and when came out with their 'no song fic' policy, I edited the verses of the poem from the story to be safe, and it lost some of its impact as a result. For the unedited version, I suggest visiting Ovo's website Soul Haven.

And you have my, erm, 'sincerest' apologies for the Bad Images this story inspires. Part of the blame lays with Ovo and a conversation we were having that made me wish I could gouge out my brain to rid myself of the images. This isn't anywhere near as bad, believe me…


	11. Old Fashioned Christmas

**Summary: **A woefully late Christmas tale of misadventure and metamorphosis. And blobs.

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Never did, never will. Only Dr. Joseph Carter is mine.

Author's Note: A Christmas fic. Long after – or before – Christmas. I'm soooo sorry… Life just… kinda interfered. But it can be argued that when it's too hot, you should think 'cold,' and what's Christmas if not cold? In most places? Well, think of it as Christmas in July, okay? Anyway, I never expected to get this far in the series. I'm rather excited now; some of the ideas I have for upcoming fics are quite fun. In my opinion, anyway, which doesn't matter that much. Now, on to the warnings. This fic contains shameless self-insertion, blobs (Ovo's fault!), bizarre shape-shifting, and general Christmas oddness. You've been warned.

I didn't intend to make this a multi, but it was getting too long… and my computer nearly reformatted my disk, so I decided to put it up while I still had it.

_**Old-Fashioned Christmas**_

_The Misadventures of Dr. Sid, Aging Werewolf_

(The non-Christmassy part)

She didn't look like a powerful woman. She was of medium height and build, with mousy, shoulder-length brown hair that was more frizzy than wavy, and blue-grey eyes hidden behind glasses. She was neither so great a beauty that all eyes were drawn to her, nor so ugly that everyone could only stare at her in horror. She was, in fact, so ordinary-looking that one tended not to notice her at all, a fact she used to her advantage.

Gray, for example, had been playing poker with her for the past hour before it finally registered that she was there.

"So, uh, General Phillips! What brings you to New York?" he asked.

The woman he'd admired so much at the HMA that he'd had her initials tattooed on his butt gave him a "you-have-got-to-be-kidding-me" look.

"I've been here for over a month," she said, exasperated. "Since General Hein's been ill, remember?" Her voice was practically dripping with sarcasm as she added, "I see your powers of observation have improved." She, on the other hand, hadn't changed a bit. Same old sarcasm. Same inability to suffer fools. Gray wondered why he was attracted to women who seemed to think he was mentally incompetent.

Jane smirked at him over her cards, and Gray wanted to slink away. Maybe he would; he was the only man at the table, and he was losing to the women he was playing against. Spectacularly. Did he have an excuse to leave without looking like a coward? "Oh, gee, look at the time! I promised, er, Ryan that I'd, uh, help him wrap Christmas gifts." Gray got to his feet, setting his losing hand of cards down on the table. From the expressions on the faces of the women gathered around the table, they didn't believe a word of it. Probably because Ryan was on guard duty until midnight, and it wasn't even eight in the evening yet.

So he turned tail and ran, painfully aware that he wasn't exactly impressing New York's new general. She probably thought any soldier who fled from a handful of women playing cards would be hopeless against attacking Phantoms. And the fact that he still owed the general about a hundred dollars really wasn't good. He'd seriously be in trouble tomorrow…

He'd turned several corners and had put half a building between himself and the others before he slowed to a walk. He'd been rounding corners blindly and it took him a moment to realize he'd come to a halt in the scientific wing. Despite the fact that it was still relatively early in the evening, the labs were practically empty. Dr. Sid had made himself scarce, and had given all the assistants and techs the holiday off. Most of the labs had been closed down, except for the main bio-etheric labs, and Gray had already passed those. Really, there shouldn't have been _anyone _in the back labs.

But there was. Gray heard a sound like a metal tray falling to the tile, with the instruments it contained scattering everywhere. The sound was out of place in what should have been a vacated area. _It's probably just someone coming in to check an experiment. Except that… there shouldn't be any experiments running now. _Which meant it was either someone running unauthorized experiments, or a thief. The former would need to be reprimanded; the latter had to be stopped. Either way, Gray would have to go in there and stop whoever it was.

Suddenly all business, Gray glanced around for a weapon. He was trained in hand-to-hand combat, but it wasn't something much put into practice because the enemy couldn't be beaten with fisticuffs. Nothing presented itself, so Gray crept quietly along in the direction the sound had come from. There was another sound, a strangled gasp, followed by a meaty _thwack. _Gray's steps quickened; whoever it was sounded like he was in pain. No longer caring how much sound he was making, Gray sprinted toward the half open door of the occupied lab, hitting it with his shoulder and sending it slamming into the wall.

The figure doubled over one of the stainless steel metal tables glanced up, mouth open in a wordless scream. Gray staggered to a halt as his eyes struggled to make sense of what he saw before him.

Whatever it was, it _wasn't _human. Mismatched eyes stared at him out of a molten, gold-skinned face; clumps of hair the color of dried blood alternated with patches of short, course fur pushing its way out of the scalp. Its mouth was filled with jagged, uneven teeth, too large for the oral cavity. It reached a hand out towards Gray, and the writhing flesh revealed by the tattered remnants of a lab smock made him feel nauseous. "What the hell-?" he began.

And then the creature moved with a swiftness belied by its awkward frame; it sprang over the table, razor sharp claws sweeping downward. Gray didn't even have time to scream before the tips dug into the soft flesh of his throat, he fell limply to the floor.

XXX

The smell of blood nearly drove what remained of his sanity from his mind, but Joseph Carter fought down the urge to gorge himself on the soldier's body. _Don't give in… _he willed silently. _Don't… _The metamorphosis was nearly complete, and if he didn't get to the suppressant, no amount of willpower would stop him from what he longed to do. He dropped to all fours, searching desperately for the hypospray that had rolled from the fallen tray and under the table. He probed under the dark recesses of the table, his fingers become stubbier and less tactile all the while. And then he brushed against something, and he hooked it with his claws and drew the hypospray toward him. He didn't waste time tapping it to clear the air bubbles, figuring the fall must have shaken it up enough to do that for him. He rammed the tip into his writhing arm, between two bubbles of flesh that threatened to burst and become something more horrifying. Clumsily, he pushed the button, injecting himself with the serum.

It coursed through his veins, and as he watched, his skin shrank to normal, smoothing out. Carter fell to his side, biting his lip with still-sharp teeth to keep from screaming. Finally, the transformation fully receded, and Carter lay gasping on the floor, too tired to move. But as his breathing became steadier, quieter, he became aware of a harsh gurgling sound someone nearby. He'd forgotten the soldier!

He crawled around the table, feeling his stomach plummet when he saw the mess he'd made of the man's throat. He hadn't meant to do it; the transformation had come upon him quicker than he'd expected, and his arm had spasmed, smacking against the tray holding the syringe and sending it to the floor. The short time it took for him to realize what had happened had been enough for the transformation to take hold almost completely, and he hadn't been able to stop himself from attacking. And now… that left him with a dying soldier. Carter cursed inwardly; this wasn't going to be easy to cover for. Even if he could conceal the body, the disappearance of a soldier – and an officer, Carter realized when he saw the man wore captain's pips on his jacket – would be investigated.

Carter was already under suspicion of illegal activities; this would _not _help his reputation any. _But what do I do? I'll never get him to the infirmary in time, and his injuries would spark too many questions even if I did. _Blood continued to flow sluggishly from the wound; he'd only grazed the jugular, rather than severing it completely. The man was dying slowly. Carter grimaced. _Not a pleasant way to go. _But what could he do? There was no way to keep the captain from dying. Even if Carter tried to stitch him up, he'd still probably die from blood loss. The only way the captain could survive this would be if…

If he had a lycanthropic healing factor. Carter's eyes widened. If he injected the man with a pure form of the virus, the change would happen fast enough to save his life. Carter staggered to his feet and stumbled towards his own lab, unlocking his freezer. He extracted a clear vial, the culmination of his experiments with lycanthropic blood samples. He'd filtered it of all animal traits, extracting the part that was the same for all were-creatures. It gave him a better look at the virus, enabling him to concoct the serum he used to suppress his own bizarre transformation. It would save the captain's life… but only if blended with animalian DNA. Without that DNA to shape the virus's effects, the result could be… catastrophic. Even Carter couldn't bring himself to test the effects.

The vial slipped from his shaking fingers, and he cursed as it shattered, the contents pooling around his boot. He grabbed another, identical vial, careful this time to make sure his grip was secure.

But what kind of animal DNA should he use? Carter didn't have much time to decide. He had a rack of animal extracts he used for his experiments, and he grabbed the nearest one, glancing at it only long enough to make certain it was usable. Carter wouldn't wish his own transformation on his worst enemy…

He dumped the extract into the pure form lycanthrope virus, mixing them gingerly as he walked back to the soldier, hoping he still lived. He grabbed a hypospray still sitting on the table, placed the tube in the chamber, and leaned over the soldier's limp form. He still bled, and his chest rose and fell, though barely perceptibly. Carter peeled the jacket and shirt away from his chest, injecting it directly into his heart to help it spread faster. Then he backed away, turning his attention to cleaning the lab. If the man died, Carter at least would know he'd done all he could.

XXX

Gray felt as if he had one hell of a hangover, but try as he might, he couldn't remember drinking. Come to think of it, he couldn't remember _anything _that had happened the previous night. Gray slowly sat upright, where he was, why he hurt… and why he was _naked. _His heart sank as he recognized the decorative fountain that sat outside the USMF building. _What… what happened? _His last clear memory was of playing poker with Jane and the girls, and losing. Had they done this to him as a way to collect on his losses? Take his dignity since he had no money? He groaned as he got to his feet, wondering how he was going to get back to his quarters unseen.

Naturally, right then General Phillips and her entourage chose to emerge the building, getting an excellent view of him in all his naked splendor. Her eyes widened, and her hand rose to cover her mouth, as though she were stifling a giggle. And then he realized that she _was _giggling. He blushed, suddenly becoming aware of just how far along his body that flush went. _Things can't possibly get worse… _He turned away, intending to slink of with what was left of his dignity, when her commanding voice stopped him.

"Captain Edwards," General Phillips said, her voice betraying none of the amusement he saw in her eyes. "I didn't realize you kept the tattoo." Several of her staff members snickered.

"Uh… ah…" Under their scrutiny, he couldn't find anything more intelligent to say.

"Maybe you should get into uniform?" the general said, arching an eyebrow. "Preferably before you're fined for swimming in the fountain.

"Yeah…" Gray managed.

But, while the general was clearly enjoying this, she wasn't without compassion. "Give him your jacket, Rose," she told one of the women standing beside her. Rose was one of her civilian staff members, so instead of wearing a uniform, she wore an elegant jacket over her blouse. A _bright pink _jacket. Smirking, Rose handed him the jacket, and he tied it around his waist. "Er, I'll return it later."

"Keep it," she said, turning her back on him.

Gray didn't even pause to thank them; he sprinted towards the building's entrance and his quarters, covered in a hot pink jacket, and his dignity in shreds. He gave no further thought to the events of the previous night that had brought him to this embarrassing situation.

XXX

Dr. Sid rubbed his brow as he sat back in his chair, his mind entirely focused on his patient. Beside him, Neil shifted his weight from foot to foot, waiting for the prognosis. Finally, he couldn't contain himself any longer. "Well?" the young tech demanded.

Irritably, Dr. Sid snapped, "No change." He examined the man in bed before him, heaving a sigh. Ever since General Hein's encounter with a vicious werewolf/vampiress, his health had been failing. Worse, the woman's attempts to make him like herself had partially taken hold, and Dr. Sid's most recent attempt to destroy the vampiric virus had failed. "I've got one more serum we can try tonight," he said wearily, without much hope; it had been several months, and they still hadn't found a way to cure Hein. It didn't help that he could only try his concoctions during the full moon, the only time Hein's body was strong enough to handle the experiments. The one attempt Dr. Sid had made to cure him without the moon's strengthening influence had caused the general to go into cardiac arrest, and he'd slipped into a two-week-long coma.

Dr. Sid finally turned from Hein's too thin, too pale form, choosing instead to gaze at the tiny fake Christmas tree with its winking lights and miniature ornaments that sat on the nightstand. It had been Neil's attempt to bring some cheer to the atmosphere, but it seemed out-of-place in the gloom.

Neil followed his gaze. "It's hard to believe tomorrow is Christmas Eve," he said with forced cheer. "Want to hunt down eight tiny reindeer?"

Dr. Sid gave him a tiny smile. The wolf in him would have loved to taste fresh meat, but, alas, there wasn't much hunting any more in their ravaged world. But his stomach growled anyway at the thought, and his smile became rueful. Transforming always made one ravenous, and he hadn't even tried hunting the previous night; he and Neil had stayed in Hein's room, in case the general found the strength to escape. Dr. Sid wasn't certain that the taste of human blood wouldn't be enough to complete Hein's transformation to a vampire/werewolf hybrid. The wolf had chafed at being trapped with an obviously sick pack member; instinct told him to flee from the sickness before he became infected, leaving the ill member to die.

"Want to get some lunch?" Neil suggested. "If it's safe to leave him, I mean?"

The doctor glanced down at his patient; Hein seemed to be sleeping peacefully, but restraints had been fastened around his wrists and ankles to keep him immobile. This had been done with the general's permission; he'd come to realize his 'episodes' were too dangerous and unpredictable for him to be left free for too long. "It's safe," he said. "Where do you want to eat?"

Dr. Sid shrugged. Practically all of soldiers who had families or friends in the city had left to stay with them rather than be confined to their USMF quarters – still close should Phantoms choose to attack the city, but far enough to _feel _like they were on a vacation – so many of the small cafes in the building were closed, and Dr. Sid didn't feel like venturing out into the city to find somewhere to eat. The soldiers' mess hall was open at all hours over the holiday, and it was closest, so Sid suggested it. The food was barely adequate, but it would do.

Neil had chosen to stay rather than go home to his family because the rest of his squad had nowhere else to go – that was the _official _reason, anyway. Off the record, Neil was staying because he didn't want his family to find out he turned into a giant rat every full moon. And his desire to be close to the ailing general probably played a big part in his decision, as well.

The mess hall was nearly deserted, and the pickings were slim. The ham-flavored shapeless gray lump, the runny not-so-scrambled and the strong, foul swill that was laughingly referred to as coffee was the best of what was offered, and Dr. Sid tried not to wince. Maybe he'd have been better off eating the moldy macaroni in his fridge… And the fact that there was a rat now perched on the table didn't make Sid feel any better. It eyed him warily, perhaps remembering the doctor's war on their species, before twitching its whiskers at him and skittering across the table towards Neil. As it squeaked at the its ruler, Sid watched it idly. Then he blinked. Was it wearing miniature _reindeer_ antlers? Dr. Sid rolled his eyes. Neil was taking his attempts at holiday cheer a bit too far…

Then the peculiar look on Neil's face drew his attention away from the antlered rat. As it sprinted away, he turned to the scientist. "Templeton was just telling me that there was some peculiar activity in the labs last night. There was a… well, a _bad _scent, to use their term. Something so awful it frightened them away. Later, they got a glimpse of something big fleeing the lab, something they refer to as the 'many legs.'"

"The 'many legs?'" Dr. Sid repeated. He wished the rats' simple minds could comprehend more. Even Neil couldn't always understand their cryptic messages. Then he focused his attention on the rest of the rat's report. "The labs?" he repeated. "Did they say what kind of activity?" _Damn it; it's got to be Dr. Carter again!_

Or was it? Carter had survived a vicious encounter with a lycanthrope with minimal injuries – it had seemed miraculous at the time, but later, Sid had wondered if the man had been infected. Perhaps he was even this 'many legs.' But, if so, what could he do in the labs while transformed? "No," Neil said. "They didn't actually see anything. But Templeton thinks he scented blood."

Dr. Sid pushed aside his tray of half-eaten sludge. "I think we should investigate," he said.

"Now?" Neil moaned. "I still have Christmas shopping to finish and sleep to catch up on!"

Dr. Sid glowered. "You're the one with the spy network; I need their input. Scant though it may be." When Neil looked affronted, Sid added, "What if Dr. Carter is up to something again?" Neil frowned. Sid had told him about what he and Hein had found in the lab over Halloween, and the tech had been sickened. If he was up to some other ungodly experiments involving Phantoms… One Phantom alone in the city could cause total devastation if it escaped.

"I'll see what I can do," Neil said.

XXX

Back in his room, Gray was standing before his bathroom mirror, staring at his reflection. It wasn't vanity that made him narrow his whole world down to what he saw in the mirror, though his narcissistic tendencies had previously caused him to spend hours in front of the mirror, but, rather, something that hadn't been there last night. He'd caught a glimpse of it in the mirror and had been staring at it ever since, forgetting that he was only half-dressed.

It was a series of puckered red lines across his throat, looking like nearly-healed scars. He'd thought at first they were an impression from the stone during his awkward sleep next to the fountain, but that would have faded by now. And closer examination revealed that they _were _scars – but his throat had never been cut! And the wounds looked _old, _to be this well healed, yet they hadn't been there the previous night._ This can't be right… _He ran his fingers over the uneven ridges, confirming that they were real, and not some sort of make-up from one of Neil's pranks.

There was a knock on the door, and Gray quickly grabbed his off-duty T-shirt and pulled it over his head. It was Ryan at the door, and whatever reason he'd come for was quickly forgotten as Gray yanked the other man inside. "I need you to look at this," Gray said, drawing his collar away from the scars. "Tell me what you think."

Ryan didn't question him, just leaned over to get a look at the marks. "They're scars," he said after a moment. "And they look _deep! _Captain, when did you hurt your throat that badly? I never noticed them before."

"I don't know… they weren't there last night!" Gray said frantically.

"You're kidding, right?" Ryan grinned at what he thought was a weak attempt at humor, then frowned. "You're not kidding."

Gray shook his head. "First I wake up naked in the courtyard, and then I find this." His voice was higher than he would have liked.

He saw Ryan's eyes gleam at the mention of the fountain incident, but then his humor faded. "You're frightened about this, aren't you?"

"Wouldn't you be?" Gray asked. "Ryan, I don't even remember what happened after I left Jane's poker game last night. One moment I'm fleeing – er, excusing myself – because I'm a thousand dollars in the hole, and the next moment, I'm lying in the courtyard, totally nude, and I have these marks."

"You were at _Jane's _poker game? You poor - but that's not the point," Ryan hastily changed the subject when Gray glared. "You don't remember anything? Were you drunk?"

"No."

"Drugged?"

"No."

"Did Jane smack you upside the head again?"

"No."

"You got off lightly," Ryan said, kneading his forehead as if suddenly bothered by some phantom pain. "Jane's poker games aren't friendly to anyone with a Y-chromosome."

"So I noticed."

"Is there anything you remember? Anything at all?" Ryan asked. "Calm down and think about it. Maybe you missed something significant."

Gray sat atop the toilet, brow furrowed in thought. "Let's see... I lose the money, and excused myself before Jane's buddies could collect. I ran – I wasn't really paying attention where I was going – and I…" Gray trailed off, struggling to remember what had happened next. "I think I ended up by the labs," he said. "Yes… I was definitely by one of the labs – I remember the doors. But, beyond that…" He shrugged. "Nothing."

Ryan looked thoughtful, but he didn't say more on the matter. "I'm sure we'll figure it out eventually," he said finally. "For now, though, I seem to remember you volunteering to help wrap those presents the USMF gathered for the orphans..."

Gray smiled faintly. He'd forgotten about that… Well, at least it would take his mind off this new conundrum… And, hopefully, it would keep him away from Jane and her debt collectors, as well…

XXX

After a quick stop to check on the unconscious General Hein, Dr. Sid and Neil headed towards the labs. Freya, the female rat that seemed to have surgically attached herself to Neil rode on his shoulder, and Sid thought he heard the skittering of claws in the air vents as other rodents followed along. It was fortunate the labs were pretty much deserted, because they were probably going to make quite a spectacle.

"Which lab?" Dr. Sid asked.

Neil turned to Freya, and she squeaked. "That one," Neil said, pointing. Sid's lips thinned and his eyes narrowed; it wasn't Dr. Carter's lab – but it was close to it. Anyone going to Carter's lab would have to pass through this larger, public lab area first.

Immediately, half a dozen rats poured out of the air vents and began running around the room, shoving twitching noses and trembling whiskers into every nook and cranny. If there was anything left from the previous night, they'd find it. And after about three minutes, they did. One of the rats stood up on its hind legs and squealed, and Neil and Sid went over to investigate.

"What'd he find?" Sid asked. He didn't see anything except a blank expanse of floor.

"Nicodemus says he smells blood – a lot of it. It's been cleaned up, but the scent lingers."

Dr. Sid would have bent down and sniffed the spot for himself, had his joints allowed it, but he decided to take the rat's word for it. He was trusting a rat. He wouldn't have thought it was possible for his world to get any stranger, but it had. "Have there been reports of any deaths?" Dr. Sid asked, wishing now that he'd taken the time to watch the news that morning. He'd been keeping both television and radio off; he didn't think he could stand any more Christmas carols.

Neil shook his head. "If there had been, we would have heard the gossip in the mess hall. No mysterious deaths, not even any disappearances have been reported – though it's possible no noticed that whoever it was disappeared yet." Neil shrugged. "The USMF information network may not match what my rats can do, but it's good enough. If anything drastic had happened, we would know by now. Maybe it's from an animal," he suggested.

"It's possible that Carter was infected and he comes in here to eat," Dr. Sid mused. Disturbing, but not against any rules. As long as Carter kept his urges under control, and wasn't performing vile experiments, then he wasn't really doing anything wrong – though Sid wondered where he could have gotten fresh meat. He almost salivated at the thought – it had been so long since he'd been able to hunt real food…

There was a sudden loud squeak of alarm, and the rats abruptly cleared the room. Neil whirled, and Dr. Sid turned more slowly to face the man who had stealthily come up behind them. "Sarge!" Neil said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

Dr. Sid hid his relief; the easy-going sergeant was preferable to the creepy Dr. Carter. But what was he doing in the labs? Did everyone just barge in here whenever they felt like it? _It would be just my luck if the labs were declared the official make-out spot during Christmas vacation… _Maybe that was what the rats had considered to be 'wrong'; Sid himself had witnessed liaisons that had made him want to gouge his own eyes out.

"I'm not sure," Ryan admitted slowly. "I was just… just checking something out for a friend."

Dr. Sid came alert; Ryan was hiding something. "Checking what, exactly?" Sid asked.

Ryan was silent as he mulled it over. "Captain Edwards said he was here last night," he said finally. "Or so he thinks; he can't remember. But he apparently woke up naked in the courtyard," Neil snickered at this, until Ryan gave him a dirty look, "with a peculiar set of scars."

Had he been wolf, Sid's ears would have perked up. "What kind of scars?'

"It looks like someone slit his throat… but the scars are _old. _He swears they weren't there before," Ryan said, shrugging. "I don't know what to think."

Dr. Sid and Ryan exchanged glances. From the look on the younger man's face, it was clear that he was thinking along the same lines as Sid himself. _Blood spilled, healed scars… It sounds like Captain Edwards is the victim of a lycanthrope attack. _Both he and Neil had been with General Hein all night; that left Carter, who may or may not be a lycanthrope. "I'd like to talk to Captain Edwards," Dr. Sid said.

"He's busy right now. He volunteered to wrap up the donations for the orphans." Ryan smiled wickedly. "The store room is packed to the rafters with presents, and the other volunteers are some of the most annoying individuals the USMF has to offer. I think he'll be ready for any excuse to get out of it by dinner time. But let him suffer for now."

Sid nodded absently; their explorations had taken them to the entrance to Carter's private lab, and he wondered if he dare enter. What would he find inside? Now more than ever, he was convinced Dr. Carter was somehow at fault. Dr. Sid paused before the door, peering through the glass at the darkened interior. There didn't seem to be anyone inside, so he tried the door. Locked, of course, but as the head of the science department, Dr. Sid had top security clearance, and had an override code to unlock every lab in the building. He punched it in, and the door clicked as it unlocked. The door opened under his touch, and Dr. Sid slipped inside, with Neil and Ryan at his heels.

"What are we doing in here?" Ryan's voice was subdued, as if he expected any loud noise would bring some sort of vicious monster down on them. The darkened lab's gloomy atmosphere _did _feel like something out of a horror film…

"The source of last night's disturbance," Dr. Sid said. He noticed that his own voice also came out softer than he'd planned.

"You think we'll find something here?" Only Neil seemed unaffected by the environment. Probably came from scrambling around in air ducts. He looked frustrated, and Sid couldn't blame him; if Ryan hadn't been here, Neil could have used his rats to search. But they couldn't just send the sergeant away; he was here on behalf of his friend, after all – and if they did dismiss him without explanation, he might think that they were involved.

Glass crunched under someone's foot. Dr. Sid saw Ryan bend down to investigate, and both Neil and Sid came to see what he'd found. The sergeant was crouched over what looked like the remains of a small vial, and Ryan carefully poked at the largest curved piece, which still had a label. "Ouch," he muttered, jerking his fingers away. He wiped the blood from his cut on his pants, then pulled his hands away, puzzled. "Something spilled on the floor; it's soaked into my pants." He got up and went straight to the sink, washing his hands. Curious, Sid crouched down, bones groaning in protest. Taking more care than Ryan had, he flipped the shard over, exposing the label.

He pursed his lips. It didn't tell him much… There was a locked cabinet right beside the broken vial, and Sid presumed it had come from there. "Neil, can you open this?" he asked. If the liquid from the vial was still wet, then it had spilled recently. Last night, perhaps.

The tech grinned. "Just gimme a sec," he said. He positioned himself between Sid and the lock – a professional hiding the tricks of his trade – and after a few bleeps, the freezer opened. "Whoa, Doc, check this out!"

The freezer was filled with dozens of vials filled with fluids of varying colors. Dr. Sid picked up the nearest and examined the label – the serial numbers gave no indication of what the vial held. He replaced it and extracted another. More incomprehensible numbers. "Do you think they're important?" Neil asked.

"I don't know. They could be… or maybe they're a perfectly legal experiment, and we're nosing around where we don't belong." He found a vial with the same number as the one lying on the floor. "I'm not going to take that chance, however." He got to his feet and glanced over to Ryan. "Are you all right, sergeant?" The sergeant had removed his pants and was running the legs under the water tap.

"Fine," Ryan said. "But I think my pants are ruined. What was that stuff?"

"That's what I plan to find out." A quick glance around the lab showed there was nothing else of immediate interest, so he let Neil lock the freezer, and the trio left. While the two squad members chatted about their Christmas plans, Dr. Sid trailed silently behind, holding up the vial thoughtfully. He couldn't wait to get the chance to examine it; but he didn't have time. He had to prep the second serum he'd concocted for Hein before they tried it out tonight.

XXX

Dr. Sid didn't have time to give the vial any thought the rest of the day as he created the serum; he didn't even find the time to visit Captain Edwards because darkness fell so early in the winter, and the transformation would take him before dinner. He nearly didn't make it to Hein's room before he changed; he was halfway there when Aki found him.

"Sid! I need to talk to you!" she said, her voice urgent.

Dr. Sid rolled his eyes. Aki's definition of 'urgent' didn't match his own. Whatever was panicking her was likely to be some simple problem that could be solved with a little use of intelligence. Unfortunately, ever since she'd begun her liaison with Major Elliot, intelligence had been something that Aki was lacking.

"Not now," Sid brushed the girl aside. "I have to tend to the general."

Aki grabbed his elbow, nearly jostling the serum from his grip. "It's important," she said. "What are you doing tomorrow night?"

The moon was full, so he planned to spend the night as a balding werewolf curled up under his bed. "I have plans," he said shortly.

"Can you cancel? There's this girl-"

"I really have to give this to the general. He's on a tight schedule." He broke free of her grip and headed away as rapidly as possible. Why was Aki here, anyway? Wasn't she supposed to be with Elliot in the city?

He hurried inside Hein's room, shutting the door and locking it behind him before Aki could follow. The general was awake; Sid could see it even from the door. One of his eyes was the same cold blue it had always been… the other was a glowing scarlet, the legacy of the vampire/werewolf's kiss. "Ready to give this another try?" Sid asked, raising the hypospray.

The restrained general just shrugged, his movements weary. "Let's do this," he said dully.

He didn't sound very confident of success, either.

To Be Continued…


End file.
